Procrastination or Perfection

Many people substitute procrastination for perfection. They believe the reason they haven’t completed a project or started an idea is because the project isn’t perfect or the timing isn’t perfect. When in fact, if they moved on or moved forward from the project or idea, it would hold up on its own, allowing them to progress to another project or idea.

Often, the person who can’t seem to complete a project has gotten so comfortable in what they’re already doing, they aren’t able to take the next step. Therefore, they procrastinate on the project, finding every reason why it’s not right, so they continuously redo the project again and again. Still, it isn’t perfect enough to let go!

This is especially true for creative people. Those who create art, jewelry, music or write may find it hard know when to logically let go. They often are heavy right brain thinkers and therefore don’t rely as much on the left brain, the analytical part of the brain. Because of this, they may stay stuck too long in the creative process, never freeing them up to begin a new phase of the project or start something new.

How does Bill Gates and the Microsoft Office team know when a software applications project is complete before they expose it to the world? They don’t. They complete it with their best efforts and quality work. Then when imperfections arise, they fix it. They eventually let it out in the world. They let it go. Then they move on to a new project. However, if or when imperfections arise again in the previous project, they work to fix it. Then use that knowledge to make a more perfect product with the current project they are working on.

There are also those who can’t find the perfect time to even begin the million-dollar idea. There is no perfect time to begin any phase of your life. There is no perfect order to life. So one must make a decision that they will carve out time in their life to begin an idea. And once you begin, you must practice daily.

How is a book created? A book doesn’t just magically appear because one thinks of a great idea to write about. To write a book, it takes the practice of the writer to commit to writing daily. They can’t show up when the timing is right, a book would never get complete. One must take time daily to write, until their efforts pay off. It’s physically practicing the idea that will lead the idea close to perfection (completion), not the perfect timing.

If you think about it, striving for perfection is really the ability to complete a quality product. And there is nothing wrong with that. It’s when you can’t seem to let go of your good work and strive for perfection for perfection sake, which leads to being stuck. Don’t confuse procrastination with perfection because procrastination only ties your ideas or projects up, keeping you from progressing.