From: Lifehack - Monday Mar 12, 2018 09:11 am
I've been trying out a new evening routine this week and yesterday I caught myself fixating on one of the steps I wasn't quite happy with. In the end, I ended up sleeping late just fussing over it for more than an hour. Ironically, it messed up the very routine that was supposed to make me sleep earlier. One of my old habits was sneaking up on me again. It was my inner perfectionist. Now I'm a very strong proponent of making quick progress, starting things out rough & dirty, optimizing as I go. But in this case, it still snuck up on me! Do you think of yourself as a perfectionist? Being a "perfectionist" doesn't necessarily mean the stereotypical image of someone who always "demands the best". In fact, everyone has a bit of it in them. Here are few questions to ask yourself to find out. Are you the type to: have to check something just one more time, "just in case"? procrastinate with the thought that it isn’t the perfect time to start something? (yes, I'm talking to you!) always be the first person to spot a mistake? These are all symptoms of perfectionism! The problem is that perfectionism secretly pulls you down. It stirs your doubt and fear, and generally makes progress much slower than it should be. Or it completely stops you in your tracks. If it's something you didn't realize you had this whole time, this is a great chance for you to identify and overcome it. You might not realize just how much it's been stalling or holding you back from making progress in your life. For me, instead of going with the flow and seeing the results over a few days, I made the mistake of letting the concept of a "perfect routine" pull me down. I was afraid of losing time by doing the wrong thing. Being aware of actions helped me to quickly tune my mindset and refocus on the journey rather than the result. Ironically, there's an article I actually wrote about this subject (which I quickly re-read for myself). I want to share it with you today: How Perfectionism Secretly Screws You Up If this was helpful, I would love to hear your feedback. Any suggestions, comments, requests, or even sharing how these effect your everyday experiences are most welcome. Cheers! - Leon
