Perfectionism Can Kill a Project

Perfectionism can kill a project…

I’ve been talking about procrastination and the reasons why I procrastinate.  You can follow along with this series from the beginning.

I put a video up on YouTube about a month ago…  It was TERRIBLE!!  But I put it up anyway.  I was nervous, I couldn’t form my sentences.  But my thinking was that if I don’t start somewhere, I will never start. By the way, if you want to see the dreadful video, you can go to my channel.  I will never get better at making video is I don’t just push through the thought that it has to be perfect.  A friend of mine watched the clip and agreed with everything that I was thinking.  She said:

a little more flowing / it seemed you were really thinking what to say or better : how to say it ….I think the premise is awesome… cause you don’t usually have to think what to say… I think the premise is awesome …but on this clip it sounded like it, almost as if you were nervous

I response was upbeat and ready to defect the “Perfectionist Trap”:

But you know what?  I haven’t putup a video since then. lol

I don’t like doing video, it’s way out of my comfort zone that is true.  But it is something that I do have a goal and intention to do.  So should I wait until my videos are perfect before I put them up?  Well no – because if I do that, I’ll never get another video up!!

It does seem though at present that my perfectionist attitude is making me procrastinate on the idea of more video lol.  (Something I really need to work on.)

Thinking that something has to be “perfect” before it can is a huge way to procrastinate doing it, and thinking up legitimate reasons in our own head as to Why we aren’t doing something so that we end up feeling okay with not doing it.

I am involved in a mastermind group with Lynn Terry from ClickNewz.com and just yesterday during our brainstorming hour, we were talking about perfectionism.  Lynn said something (as she usually does) that really made me go AH-HA  that is sooo true.

She said if you look up the definition for the word “Perfect”, the actual meaning of the word is “Finished”!

Now that just puts a totally different spin on things, doesn’t it?  It can’t be perfect until it is complete!

Procrastinating because it has to be perfect is an area that I am continually working on (and I am getting better).

Basically, life and business is a “work in progress”  We will never get it perfect, there will always be something that we need to continually work on, tweak, revamp, test or whatever else you choose to  call it.  And like Lynn has said a few times, there is always an edit button.

Take for example this site.  I am in the middle of updating it.  I didn’t like the color scheme, I also didn’t like the flow.  So instead of waiting until I have everything ready to change over, it is happening a little bit at a time.  My old color scheme was an in-your-face kind of orange.  I didn’t feel like it was very welcoming.  So I’ve changed it up to this blue, like it a lot better.  BUT  all of my social media headers need to be re-done, some of the initial info-graphics on this blog no longer match the colors etc.  This blog will ALWAYS be a work in project, because I will always be testing out new ways that will better serve my readers.

Oh well!  It will get there, and it doesn’t have to be perfect, it has to be done!!

I really like this quote I found on Pinterest … PLOT TWIST!

Take a minute and write out a little sticky note for you computer monitor to remind yourself

It Doesn’t have to be Perfect.  It Does have to be DONE!!

And then get busy and DO IT!

Finish up (or get started on) those projects that you have been putting off waiting for them to be perfect, or waiting for the perfect time or waiting for the perfect audience, or waiting for the perfect body image, or waiting for whatever it is you are waiting for!!

If you are just getting started online, I would highly suggest joining Lynn’s forum.

The forum was created I don’t know how many years ago and it has a wealth of information.  If you need even more help and her private brainstorming group is open to new members I would highly suggest taking advantage of Lynn’s years of experience.  The brainstorming group is an awesome group of action takers and a lot of fun.  If you decide to register – just let Lynn know “Heather” sent you (that’s my username on the forum).

Talk soon,

Oh and if you haven’t signed up to AHWH so you can stay up to date with what’s happening right in your inbox, you can do that here.