I’ve said this many times before: “The best ideas and strategies in the world, only work., when you do!” The perfectionists guide to getting things done outlines a few simple but effective ideas to make that statement a reality for you.
The perfectionists guide to getting things done
Getting things done is a balance between pride of work and a desire to share it. Perfectionists may not suffer from not working at their goal. But they do suffer from withholding idea’s, often until it’s too late. Striving for excellence is fantastic. Blaming being a perfectionist for not sharing that excellence is misguided. Yes, you want to be and do your best. And certainly, you don’t want to cause harm by doing or sharing something not fit for purpose. But there must be a cut off. And the reality of course, is that absolute perfection is impossible. We all have definitions of perfection for what we expect from ourselves and from others. And, for what society expects from us. Many of these are adopted by us when we are young and have implications later in life. Studies show that high perfectionism in children often leads to emotional problems and behavioural peer related difficulties.
Is there a positive side of perfectionism?
Perfectionism isn’t always bad. But it does have far reaching effects on mental health.
There are positive and negative forms of perfectionism. One causes progress and evolution as a person. And the other causes depression and stagnation. In this article I will outline a few ways to tip the balance toward positive perfectionism that leads to getting things done. By adopting a sense of self-directed perfectionism based on striving for excellence. And introduce the use of roXiva audio visual brainwave entrainment and brain optimisation strategies to give you an unfair advantage in productivity.
Done is better than perfect
Do I really need to say any more than that?
She who hesitates., waits., and waits., and waits…
If you take just one thing from this article., remember the statement that done is better than perfect! Sometimes the best way to see if a decision or action is the right one or not is to make it and do it! Then if it turns out to not be the right one, you’ll find out sooner and make the change. Movement reveals the next step in any journey. And movement is always more fulfilling and productive than stillness and stagnation. Sleep and still, focused meditation aside., if you are not moving and growing then by definition you are freezing and dying. Failing to decide or take the next step is all too common. And perfectionism kills as many dreams as not trying at all. Because chasing perfection is like a dog chasing its tail. Only not as funny to watch. Life is far from a joyous adventure for some people. But you can still stack the odds in your favour. And act on your best current knowledge until you know better. Because you will ALWAYS know better at some point in your future. Do you want your life to be an example or a warning? The irony is, that both of those options are more fun than playing it safe and being perfect. So, make the commitment to allow yourself to be imperfect., even if only in some areas of your life.
Getting things done requires you to decide quickly
Here’s some logic that you may appreciate…
If you’re going to decide between a couple of options., then while you’re still deciding., start doing one of them anyway. And who knows, you may choose the right one and find yourself halfway down the path by the time you notice. Great result! Or if it’s not the right choice, then nothing’s lost because you were still deciding anyway. Eureka! Have I just revealed the best decision-making strategy ever?
Lol. Obviously, you need to do this intelligently. Because this assumes you have enough information to make that decision a smart one. And that the decision is able to be reversed or stopped without negative consequences if needed. But can you really know what a decision is going to lead to before you’ve made it and started moving in the direction of its completion? Absolutely not.
You can guess based on past experience and advice. But today, the people you need to deal with, and the technology you will use, are NOT necessarily the same as yesterday. And excellence comes from experience which often involves getting things wrong at first.
Share progress as you’re getting things done
Perfectionism is paralysis if progress is not shared. So, share the best of who you are today and be comfortable with the fact that tomorrow you may share differently. Microsoft and Apple know full well that even before a computer product is released, it is already obsolete compared to what they are developing next. And yet what is released is perfectly received. Because people understand progress and evolution. As a perfectionist, I bet you’ve had times when you’ve shared something you thought wasn’t good enough. And I also bet that those you shared it with were impressed and thought it was really good. Use this example of getting things done as an intermediary step for softening your own perfection. Share what you believe is unfinished with someone to get their reaction. But only if you are willing to believe them if they say it’s perfect as it is. And accept feedback if they think it can be improved. Because there’s another important reason to share ideas with someone you trust. And that is., is the goal or project even achievable or realistic? What you are doing might not be perfect yet because it has no chance of ever being finished at all. And you may be blind to this. Or the time frame of achieving it may be unrealistic. And that leads nicely into…
Get things done by setting deadlines
A goal without a deadline is just a dream. And this should be obvious, but it’s missed so often. History is littered with idea’s that someone had but didn’t take action to complete. Only to find one day that someone else did, with an almost identical idea.
Perfection can be exhausting. And getting things done involves setting deadlines that make future achievements real. Without a deadline the future keeps moving away from you. Of course, you can change a deadline. But the reasons need to be compelling. Do you need to be accountable to someone for that deadline? Because sometimes deadlines are part of your role by agreement. And sometimes they are optional. We will often do more to live up to someone else standards than our own. Make your own deadlines and share them if necessary. And share them with someone you trust to ask the right questions as the deadline approaches. But make sure that the deadlines are realistic. This isn’t about beating yourself up for not perfectly meeting them.
Perfectionists guide to prioritising and delegation
This is a hard one for perfectionists. Especially delegation. Why would you pass something on to someone else when you know how it should be done? Because surely that’s just asking for trouble. And this is where prioritising what things to get done comes in. Time management is vital. Because it’s likely that you will have a list of things you want to get done. And there is always going to be a few of those things that you can likely do better than almost anyone else. Not just because you’re an unappreciated genius. But because you are closest to the idea or action and therefore know the finer details.
Getting things done to maximise reward versus time
And there’s also the matter of what out of that list is going to provide the biggest payoff? This is true in terms of performance and expansion which leads to increased reward. And, in terms of minimising potential issues later which again will likely affect reward. Start by finding the tasks that are lower down that list and get help with them. Or better still, delegate things you need to get done completely with little more than a roadmap. And you can check periodically that progress is in line with that map. Included in this idea of delegation and time management is being assertive. Because you need to say ‘no’ more often to things that are not going to progress you toward your goals. And also hold people to account for things they need to do to make your task easier.
Can sleeping on it lead to getting things done?
Great ideas often come to us when we least expect it. Why? Because the unconscious part of our mind needs space to make itself heard above the noise of a busy ‘monkey mind’. And changing from focused specific thinking to general free flowing thinking gives it that space to be creative. ‘Sleeping on it’ is a common term for letting an idea or problem go from conscious thought overnight. And you don’t have to sleep on it to get this benefit either. Because engaging in an unrelated task that doesn’t require focused thought is also effective. So that includes exercise, music, household chores, a casual conversation. Basically, anything not demanding that is different from what you are taking a break from. This is known as the incubation period of creativity.
Where mind wandering often has a function in new idea generation. So, make the decision to leave whatever it is alone, and come back to it later or tomorrow with a fresh perspective. You can read more on creativity in becoming a creative genius here.
The perfectionists guide to focusing on identity, not achievement
Who you are, is and always should be, more valuable than what you accomplish. And what other people think of you is none of your business. Comparing yourself to others and/or being a people pleaser may seem like a good idea. But the result is stagnation and inauthentic friendships. Choose to develop a growth mindset. A growth mindset is one that rewards effort and learning as much as completion. And makes the process of getting things done as enjoyable as the outcome. This leads to excellence which is a positive aspect of perfectionism. Celebrate making progress WHILE making progress. Because there is danger in leaving the feeling and neurochemistry of reward to the easy things. Having that drink after work with friends is an easy way to get a ‘hit’ of feel-good chemicals like dopamine. But that will not make work any more enjoyable. And in fact, it can do the opposite over time. That feeling of being in the zone while working on a project is its own blissful reward. So don’t wait for the food, or the television, or the shopping to feel that.
Using the perfectionists guide with roXiva
What are you putting off until it is ‘just right’? And what would happen if you acted on it once it is ‘almost right’ instead. And then see what is revealed next by action in that direction. Energy requires movement to transform! And motivation follows action., not the other way around. But here is where you can have an unfair advantage. The roXiva meditation lamp has purpose designed light and sound sessions to get you in the zone and help you take inspired action. In fact, one of those sessions is a guided hypnosis session called ‘getting things done’. And this combines the brain frequencies of peak performers with hypnotic language. So, you get to train your brain to be in the right state., and re-program your mind for productivity.
How does roXiva help you get things done
This works because your brain has specific neural brainwave frequency oscillations associated with motivation, flow and creativity. Once triggered, this brain state gains momentum, and you find yourself getting things done without even trying to. Another common effect of this type of brain entrainment is entering a type of hypnagogic state between awake and asleep. At this point your unconscious and conscious thought processes are close together. And this results in divergent inspirational thinking. Adding positive affirmations and suggestions to your mind while in this state also maximises the chances of you adopting the beliefs and habits of highly productive people. This is just one of many applications of roXiva technology.
And here is your challenge for today. No perfectionists guide to getting things done would be complete without a prompt. Choose something that you have been putting off because it’s not perfect yet. And act on the imperfection in perfect knowledge that you will improve it on the move.
What a perfect idea!
Cheers,
Lance
Learn more:
Negative beliefs and how to change them: Why can’t I change >>>>