Letting Go of Wanting to Be Perfect…

Is trying to be perfect an issue for you or your colleagues? Our September session will focus on how trying to be perfect can prevent us from reaching goals and thriving.

I often struggle with wanting projects to be as good as possible (…close to perfect).

One method I use is to remind myself that nothing is perfect.

But what constitutes a good enough job? How can I optimize my productivity and attention to detail? In many cases, the 80/20 rule is helpful — 80% of the results come from 20% of the effort, which adds the challenge of wanting to be perfect in time management too.

From Wikipedia: In 1941, Joseph M. Juran, a Romanian-born American engineer, came across the work of Italian polymath Vilfredo Pareto. Pareto noted that approximately 80% of Italy's land was owned by 20% of the population. Juran applied the observation that 80% of an issue is caused by 20% of the causes to quality issues. Later during his career, Juran preferred to describe this as "the vital few and the useful many" to highlight that the contribution of the remaining 80% should not be discarded entirely.

Often, taking breaks and switching tasks helps. So does having a learning mindset and a sense of humor!

I’m looking forward to starting The Perfection Trap tomorrow and will share highlights soon.