The Curse of Perfectionism

by **UNEEK** Sun Jul 22, 2012 8:56 am

Anyone suffer from this or live with someone who does? I kinda fall in this category and it can be a two edged sword for sure -- It was extremely a benefit when I had my own cleaning business - I organized everyone's pantry and linen closet etc -- no one ever went behind me -

It does not bother me to be this way - it only bothers me when I can't get things perfect lol -- I think there may be a fine line between perfection and excellence maybe ??

There are things to be considered for sure when falling into the category of "extremes" - A perfectionist is no healthier than a slob - they are both out of balance and when their paths cross -- and they will -- they both can learn from each other to become more balanced --- IF they choose to - each extreme has consequences -

I do find myself accepting the 80% more than I use to because of time restraints and wanting to do toooooo much - I hope you enjoy the article -- UNEEK

The Curse of Perfectionism By Dr. Donald E. Wetmore

There's
a rule known as the Pareto Principle. It teaches us that 20% of our
efforts produce 80% of our results. The additional 80% of our efforts
will only yield an additional 20% of results.

The first thrust of effort then is the most productive use of our time. The latter thrust is very costly.

For
example, let's say you allocate 2 hours (which we'll represent as 20%
of your time) to clean a room, a basement, or a garage. Let's say that
will you will be able to get it to be 80% clean. It won't be perfect,
but it will be acceptable and a job well done.

However,
to squeeze out an additional 20% of results, to make it "perfectly
clean", will require an additional 80% of your time, or 8 hours. The
additional results are sixteen times more costly than the initial
results from 20% of the effort, not to mention that while you're trying
to squeeze out those additional results, you are kept from doing a lot
of other more productive things.

(If you follow the link at the end you can vote and get current results)
Yes, and I'm proud of it! 27.27%
Yes, but I'm trying to change. 63.64%
No, but I'd like to be more perfect. 0%
No, and I'm happy just the way I am. 9.09%

This
rule has a lot of application to you as a time manager. Ever notice if
you're in sales how 20% of your customers give you 80% of your sales and
the other 80% of your customers give you the remaining 20% of your
business?

Where then should you be spending 80% of your time? With the 20% of the customers who are giving you 80% of your business.

Ever notice how 20% of your relatives give your 80% of your headaches?

It
may not always work with exact mathematical precision, but, typically,
the small chunk of input yields the biggest chuck of output or results.

Most
of us benefit from this rule intuitively. When you and I approach a
task (clean a room, prepare a term paper, write up a project, etc.) we
decide to put in a reasonable amount of time and effort to achieve a
reasonable result. The result may not be perfect but it will be
acceptable and this will free us to devote our time to tackling other
endeavors.

We put in a reasonable amount of time and produce a
pretty decent report. It may not be perfect, but putting in a whole lot
more time to make it a little better is not cost-effective and therefore
not worth the effort.

Those who suffer from the Curse of
Perfectionism do not understand this principle. Their goal is always
perfection, which, realistically, is unattainable. For example, you
cannot clean a room perfectly.

As you clean it,
it's getting dirty as dust settles. Any written report can be polished
and improved upon with more time and effort. Striving for perfection is
then always stressful and frustrating.

Their overall productivity
suffers as they spend an inordinate amount of time on a few things,
trying to make them perfect, rather than a lesser amount of time on a
lot of things that will multiply their results.

The curse is
cured when they abandon the need to do their tasks perfectly, when they
understand that excellence in performance is attaining a degree of
perfection, not absolute perfection. This does not compromise one's
standard of excellence in performance. It enhances excellent performance
with increased results.
http://www.stretcher.com/stories/01/011217d.cfm