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Time Management Tips - 3 Steps to Conquer Perfectionism & Boost Productivity
Time management tips help you break time habits that hinder your progress. For example, habitual perfectionism is a habit that turns into the ultimate time goblin. The more of your time you feed it, the larger and more tyrannical it becomes. Over time, you forget that you can actually apply reasonable expectations to the work at hand, and then move on to your next activity. This takes a terrible toll in your personal relationships, beginning with the all important relationship you have with yourself.
Fortunately, perfectionism is a learned behavior that you can unlearn. You were not born a perfectionist. So commit to understanding and overcoming perfectionism. Learn first-hand how much more pleasurable and productive your life can become!
Interestingly, perfectionists don't always apply themselves as fully to the task of overcoming perfectionism as they do other challenges! Take a moment to consider any ambivalence you may have towards letting this inner nagging voice fall silent. Along with fears, perfectionism is buttressed by a powerful identification with idealized image.
If you feel a strong commitment to create a more viable way to move through your day, take the time to actually write out the answers to the questions below. Try conducting this exercise on 3 different days. How do your responses vary? You will find that sitting down and working with this exercise will provide you with a powerful set of tools for refashioning your life.
Three Steps to Overcome Perfectionism:
Step Number One: Identify the source of your perfectionist voice.
Sit back and relax, closing your eyes. Tune into the voice of your perfectionist as if you were tuning in to a radio station from long ago. Whose voices do you hear? Perhaps members of your family urged you to perform. Maybe teachers imposed unrealistic demands upon you. Then again, you may have modeled yourself upon someone who seemed larger-than-life, or whose standards were extreme.
Step Number Two: Write down perfectionist messages you give yourself.
By writing down these messages, you can immediately identify the expectations that aren't realistic. This is an important accomplishment in itself!
Don't bother trying to defend yourself. The perfectionist time goblin isn't listening to you. Instead, envision yourself placing each message into a burlap sack, tying it securely, and burying it in a deep hole. Now, consciously replace each message with a realistic goal.
Step Number Three: Identify the underlying fear.
You empower yourself every time you identify the source of your fear. Do you fear failure, fear success, or are you apprehensive about what will happen if you do succeed?
Whatever your fear may be, the promise that perfectionism can "fix it" is illusory. Do you hope that being "perfect" will provide you with a measure of control over your environment that is impossible to attain? It is both compassionate and realistic to let that go.
And then, exercise your genuine power to replace perfectionism with realism. Validate that your best is good enough. And make your peace with what lies beyond your ability to fix. Fully appreciating your genuine efforts and allowing yourself room to grow, empowers you and helps you experience the world as a safer place.
Do not be discouraged if you need to work strenuously to silence the voice of perfectionism. Any such inner directives are deeply ingrained, and your time goblin of prior investments needs to know you are quite serious about replacing compulsive striving with rational, enlightened self-interest. Remind yourself that it's worth all the work it takes!
Reducing your perfectionism is both courageous and sensible. Living more realistically makes your time more enjoyable, and more productive, as well.
Now ask yourself: How can you replace perfectionism with productivity today to make the best use of your time?
About the Author Coach Paula Eder, Ph.D., The Time Finder Expert, has 35 years of success helping individuals and small businesses align time with values. For free Time Templates + Time Tips, visit Finding TimeEnjoy our blog! TheTimeFinder
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