Overcome perfection paralysis: Tips from creators of content
There's a good chance that you've met someone who couldn't be able to finish their project due to the fact that they believed every element needed to be perfect. But, perfection doesn't exist (truly). Therefore, the project sits incomplete either on their laptop or their studio. Some might consider their time wasted as nobody gets to enjoy what the creator has created.
The tendency to be perfect can prove to be a huge obstruction for both entrepreneurs and creators. In a research study conducted by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, perfectionism is associated with "feelings of failure, guilt, indecisiveness, procrastination, humiliation, and lower self-esteem." In the end, people struggle to move forward with the job or undertaking - which is known as the perfection paralysis.
However, how can you overcome it?
Letting go of perfectionism and recalibrating to a more real-world standard for when something can be shared can be a difficult task. In order to help you achieve this we asked two expert authors to discuss their experiences of conquering perfection paralysis during a virtual summit held in the month of August in 2022. The session can be viewed on YouTube:
Before we dive in to the tricks, we'll meet our speakers:
Steve Harris is a global business coach that helps high-performing individuals and institutions overcome the gaps between their potential and performance. The self-described "ruthless" and "ruthless," he's worked with over 1,000 clients and encouraged clients to complete their effort to achieve outstanding performance.
Grace Abbott is a multi-hyphenate designer, strategist, and branding expert who specializes in growing businesses that are at the crossroads of commerce and content. The last five years of her career have been devoted to building To Be Magnetic - turning an old wellness blog into a fast-growing membership site - the most popular site for Neural manifestation.
Responses have been edited for the utmost clarity.
What is the reason people are obsessed with perfection?
How have you overcome perfectionism?
Digital goods don't have to be perfect, but they do require an acceptable level to sell. Can a designer reset their expectations to the level of quality that's still will benefit their company and brand?
Grace states:
"Consider the impact of your logo on the content quality and knowledge you're planning to be putting out? Does it tell a compelling story about what you have to offer? Then, of course it's important to make sure you're doing a copy edit, that you have high-quality audio and video. All those things that are will make your user experience as high quality as possible.
However, I believe that more than anything else, go at it. It doesn't require an expensive production team in order to produce an outstanding video. You can make a great video on your iPhone. Be sure to ensure that there's nothing in the background and that the audio quality's excellent.
What's the initial action a creator of knowledge can do to assist them in creating their first digital item?
Steve says:
"I find that a lot of entrepreneurs are caught up in the messaging, but they're not considering the marketplace. It is important to ask yourself: do I have a market that will accept my message? Now, how do you determine if there is a market for your message?
It's actually quite easy - Ask specific questions such as:
- What's the problem which my voice or passion can solve?
- Who is the person who has the issue and who needs this solution?
- Who are the people you're obligated to serve?
- How do you discover them?
- How are they going to locate you?
- How much are they able to spend?
- Why should someone go to you rather than the millions of alternatives which are available?