I know that you learn by making mistakes and that perfectionism is counterproductive. Nevertheless, I find it difficult to lower my expectations and let go of this way of thinking.
I expect myself to perform perfect work and complete all tasks immediately. Whether that refers to this website, to my studies, or to leisure activities. I find myself in a conflict between the rational realization that perfection is not possible and the emotional belief in the value of perfection.
Perhaps you know this problem and can identify with my experience. If you are expecting a universal solution that will allow you to “defeat” perfectionism immediately, I have to disappoint you.
Since I've been trying to change my expectations, I've learned three things.
- It is not possible to change one's expectations immediately.
- The methods used to fight perfectionism are very individual.
- Improvement is only possible if you combine different solution strategies and, above all, persistently work towards improvement.
I can't promise you that my experience will help you. But it has helped me to read and think about other people's experiences. I hope this article can accomplish that - although my articles are not perfect.
I can't remember not being filled with the expectation of doing perfect work.
These expectations continued throughout my childhood and school career. Certainly, I performed better as a result, but I believe it could have been done without the stress and strain of perfectionism.
In my recently started studies, I am noticing more and more that I am less and less able to meet my expectations of myself. At the same time, my demand for perfection is transferring to my free time: my schedule has to be productive down to the last detail, and in video games I have to achieve all my goals, preferably right away.
I realized more than ever that I need to change something about this – and I can! Of course, that doesn't mean I want to do any less good work. I want to have realistic goals and be happy with what I create.
My strategy to combat my perfectionism is based on three key points.
- I want to read and learn more about perfectionism. Only by looking at a problem from many perspectives and really understanding it can you solve the issue.
- I want to challenge myself by actively putting myself in situations that trigger my perfectionism. A good first step would be to intentionally not strive to achieve all achievements and goals in video games, but instead limit myself to one central mission.
- I want to share my experience with perfectionism. It helps to talk or write about your personal challenges. Sure, it's hard and unfamiliar at first, but it's worth it. For example, part of this aspect is this article.
I don't know if my strategy will be successful. But I am confident that it will be worth trying.
I hope you could take something from this article!