How To Beat Perfectionism And Procrastination

The human brain is capable of extraordinary creativity and inventiveness. At the same time, it can work against itself in ways that leave many people feeling chronically guilty and dissatisfied.

These negative feelings have their basis in the two mental habits of perfectionism and procrastination — perhaps the biggest contributors to a lack of confidence and motivation. Perfectionism and procrastination always accompany each other, and the result is always a paralysis of thinking and action.

Instead of obsessing over getting things perfect, try the 80 percent approach. Get the first 80 percent of any project or task done as quickly as possible, and then delegate the second 80 percent to someone else for further improvement. This brings the overall project to 96 percent by using multiple people’s best abilities to achieve a superior outcome.

Two mental traps that paralyze us:
Perfectionism — refusal to decide or commit.
Procrastination — refusal to take action.
Solution? Do the first 80% as quickly as possible!
Why? Your 80% is often good enough or better than what others expected —
especially when you're using your Unique Ability.

Illustrations by Hamish MacDonald.