Why Trying To Be Perfect Stops You From Starting

Perfectionism is held up as a positive trait. Why would you not want to strive for perfection? The perfectionism-procrastination cycle leads you to set unreasonable standards, fear failure, and deal with unnecessary stress. Here is a look at the perfectionism-procrastination trap and why trying to be perfect stops you from starting.

Perfectionism Creates Unrealistic Standards

The hallmark of perfectionism is that nothing is ever good enough unless it is perfect. These unrealistic standards make you unable to finish a project.

Once you have set an impossible standard, you make it difficult for yourself to complete a task or achieve a goal. Having unrealistic expectations holds you back from doing or achieving a goal.

These impossible standards create a mental block. You become stuck. You become unable to move forward.

Solution: Set realistic goals for yourself with SMART Goals.

Too Big of a Goal or Task

A task or goal may be too difficult or large. You procrastinate by setting a big goal or working on a too difficult task. It is unrealistic for you to finish what you have set for yourself, so you procrastinate.

Solution:  Set small, realistic daily goals for yourself that you can accomplish. These daily goals compound to help you achieve your major goal.

Brain Freeze Prevents Action

You freeze because you are afraid to start a task. Your brain mentally freezes due to the size or difficulty of your expectations.

Falling short or failing is unacceptable to you. Rather than make any progress at all, you freeze. And your brain freezing results in procrastination.

Solution: Take action each day. Small daily actions help you progress so that you can achieve success.

Fear of Failure

When perfectionism prescribes impossible standards, the fear of failure prevents you from taking action and starting on a project. After all, if perfection is the only tolerable result, then everything else in life can be seen as failure.

The fear of failure is paralyzing since it taps into your insecurities. You do not want to be a failure. You do not want to waste your talent and effort only to fail.

There is a sinister irony that comes with perfectionism. Being a perfectionist was supposed to help you toward success. Instead, it fuels your procrastination and fear of failure, preventing your success.

This fear can be so overwhelming that it leads to avoidance behaviors. Rather than risking the possibility of failing, it can feel safer to avoid the task altogether. You might find yourself telling others (and yourself) that you're not ready or waiting for the right moment. You will then give the task your full attention.

You make excuses. You are afraid of failure. You procrastinate because you do not want to fail.

For the longest time, I struggled with the fear of failure. I had been taught by the school and higher education system that if something was not perfect, then it was not good. I obsessed over minor details that most people did not care about. I allowed my fear of failure to prevent me from going all in on the things that I cared about the most because I thought that I would be able to get a traditional job after going to college.

Solution: Embrace making mistakes and failure.

Procrastination as a Coping Mechanism

You delay starting a task. You think making a mistake is a risk. Procrastination becomes a coping strategy to protect yourself from the anxiety and discomfort of not being perfect.

The more you delay doing something, the stronger your anxiety becomes. You feel guilty about procrastinating. The more you procrastinate, the more the pressure builds that negatively affects your mental health.

A deadline for a project you have meant to work on draws closer. You now worry that the project will be perfect and you will complete it on time. Being behind on a task gives you the feeling of dread. What might have been a doable assignment now has become an impossible task.

Perfectionism creates a self-perpetuating coping cycle that goes like this. Perfectionism creates fear. Fear leads to procrastination. Your procrastination increases the fear, which negatively affects your mental health.

Solution: Practice time management strategies to help you complete tasks and goals on time.

Summary

The perfectionism-procrastination trap is a subtle but deadly trap that prevents you from taking daily action. Setting unrealistic standards for yourself means you never accomplish a goal because you fear failure. Procrastination becomes a coping mechanism that leads to anxiety.

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Views expressed in this article are the author's opinions and views and do not reflect the views of Secure Single. It is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Secure Single does not give health, medical, relationship, travel, or financial advice. Secure Single does not provide advice of any kind. Always consult and speak with a professional.