What is perfection paralysis

This is only because they feel like every task on the list has to be done perfectly. This overwhelming stress leads to perfection paralysis. The brain shuts down in fear of not making everything perfect, and nothing gets done at all. Instead of falling apart at the prospect of executing every single task perfectly, a person who struggles with this problem should work on prioritizing.

Not everything needs to be perfect. Then decide what you can squeeze in and do just well enough, and what really requires more time. In order to prioritize, you might first have to come to the realization that not everything needs to be done perfectly. This applies to perfectionism too. Some suggest that to rid yourself of perfectionism, you should let go of one thing a day , slowly increasing as you get more comfortable.

This could be minor things at first, such as choosing a less than perfect outfit, having a less than perfect lunch or a less than perfect chat around the water cooler. The best way to overcome perfection paralysis is to do things for joy , not for success or praise. In many cases, inaction is the worst possible action. Set an action deadline at the beginning of any important project -- one that allows sufficient analysis, but also maintains momentum.

You must stop what I call, "procrastinating in the perfectionism. The truth is you are probably your own worst critic.

Take a step back and get some feedback from a senior leader in your organization. If they think your work is good, push through and recognize your value. To minimize over-analysis, understand what the expectations are. What exactly is the information you need to provide or deliverables that you need to meet?

Are you overproducing? We are often our own worst enemy. Those who are consistent overachievers sometimes struggle with deadlines by becoming mired in too much detail.

Understanding the expectations will help meet goals wisely. Approach your work with a recover and release mindset. The recover mindset happens after you complete your work and you review it for errors and realistic value. Once corrections are made, move into the release stage, where you let it go and are OK with what results from it. Your realistic view of its value will be the reminder you need to draw from to free yourself from continuing to overanalyze. Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only, fee-based organization comprised of leading business coaches and career coaches.

Find out if you qualify at Forbes Councils. The human being is a positive reinforcement system. We get lit up and energized by praise and acceptance, and we curl up in a ball when we are criticized. That is because they are enraged at being humiliated and they can use the rage to batter their opponents.

This technique does not work in other spheres. The criticism you hear from that inner critical audience slows you down, and interferes with your thinking process. Every time you think of what to do next, you get an uneasy feeling.

If you write a sentence or two, you feel the need to delete, erase, and do over. It is so easy to put the next step of your project off until tomorrow when you experience unpleasant feelings and lack of progress.

Being intelligent, however, it is hard for you to ignore the fact that you are not living up to your own high expectations for yourself. This makes you feel down on yourself and ineffective.

I have worked with clients who had not written for months, or even years. Often it is due to the setup outlined here. It is so unnecessary for so many incredibly bright people to feel like failures. Make the messages liminal, and you will have more control over whether you choose to believe them. She needed to resign. Sell the house. Hire the movers. Research new schools. Choose a new community. Buy a new house. I reminded her of her why and encouraged her to take the next best step.

So she hired a Realtor. And she will keep taking the next best step, one at a time. In a recent conversation with a corporate executive in New York City, I asked about her thoughts on living with perfectionism. She is also 55 and single. She spent her 30s climbing the career ladder and her 40s caring for aging parents. There was always going to be 20 pounds to lose and more to get involved in before being perfect for dating.

Perhaps this is her vegan soup. Who knows what yours will bring?