The double-edged sword of perfectionism

• Perfectionism can be both a strength and a hurdle.
• When there’s ample time or you’re in a hyper-focused state, it can drive excellence.
• However, in daily tasks, perfectionism often creates unnecessary barriers.

How perfectionism becomes a hurdle

Setting excessively high standards for routine tasks can:

• Create resistance.
• Cause delays.
• Lead to tasks piling up.

This makes it harder to focus on tasks that truly matter.

A metaphor to understand perfectionism

Imagine perfectionism as a line or slider:

• One end: You aim for absolute perfection, like polishing every stone on a pavement until it shines. This takes a lot of time and energy, and you might never progress far.
• The other end: You leave every stone untouched, moving quickly but without attention to detail.
• The middle: You find balance. For unimportant tasks, leave the stones as they are or give them a quick polish. For important tasks, aim for ‘good enough’—not perfect, because no human can achieve absolute perfection.

Finding balance

From a distance, the path you’ve worked on will appear perfectly coloured, even if there are minor imperfections. By letting go of the need for perfection:

• You avoid getting stuck.
• You save energy.
• You focus on what truly matters.