As a professional, you want to give 100 percent at your job. You want to make sure that your clients are happy, your boss is happy and that any task you are handed is completed to high standards. But for some professionals with perfectionist tendencies, this can provide extra stress. For a perfectionist to complete a project, this can mean taking extra time to revise a project several times to make sure every detail is perfect, every mistake is corrected, every “t” is crossed and “i” is dotted and sometimes even redoing a project until it is, well, perfect. Unfortunately, in some careers, making all that effort can mean losing clients, money and precious time, and it can even take a toll on your work relationships. If you have perfectionist tendencies, how can you fight them and still be successful in a professional setting?
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Determine when you should use your skill set. Perfectionists have a special skill set that allows them to provide high quality, and a high level of detail, at their jobs. While we all have some level of perfectionist tendencies, some find it harder to control the tendency than others. Determine when it is appropriate for you to use your perfectionist tendencies to their full potential. For example, if you are preparing the first draft of a project or document that will be handed on to several others, you don’t need to pour over all the details many times since it will most likely be changed before it is completed. On the other hand, if you are the last person to check a project, you were probably chosen to check the project since your boss knows your skill set. Therefore you will want to use your perfectionism to the fullest to ensure that everything is correct before turning it in.
Prioritize your projects. Prioritizing will help you to decide how to use your skill set. Who is the project going to? What is it for? How long do I have to complete it? These kinds of questions can help you decide how much time to spend on making sure a project is perfect. This also will help you to streamline projects that don’t need as much time spent on them and allow you more time to spend on details of projects that really matter.
For help with prioritizing, check in with your boss. If you struggle with prioritizing projects on your own, ask her to list projects in order of importance, not just because of their deadline, but because of what they are.
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Limit your double-checking. Perfectionists sometimes have a hard time calling a project finished. Double-checking for a perfectionist usually involves pouring over a project more than just once. It’s easy to get lost in the world of double-checking and you may not even realize how much time you have spent on the final touches of a project. Decide how many times you are going to check over a project, how much time you need to do that and stick to it. You might find it helpful to set a timer for yourself. Start with checking the most important things instead of the tiny details. Once the important details are fixed, then move on to the smaller details as your time frame allows. And when your time is up, you will know that the most important details look amazing.
However, don’t use this as an excuse to cut corners. Check in with your boss on an important project once you have started for feedback. Let her tell you if it needs more attention to detail or if it is looking good how it is. If it requires considerable more work than anticipated, negotiate a new deadline.
Keep stress at bay. Feeling the need to make sure everything is perfect can create more stress in the workplace and prevent you from being productive. So find ways to de-stress throughout the day. Perhaps this is using your break time to take a short walk, creating a calming playlist, speaking with your mentor or career coach or having a hobby. When you feel less stressed you will find that you are able to move forward on your work projects with more ease.
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Don’t be afraid to delegate. If you have perfectionist tendencies and are in a management position, you may find it difficult to delegate projects. You may feel the need to micromanage your employees to make sure they meet your standards. Try to remember that giving more freedom to your employees encourages creativity and productivity. Don’t expect perfection for every task. Has it been completed to an acceptable degree? Does it meet its purpose? If the answer is yes, then move on to reviewing the next task.
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How to Manage Your Perfectionist Inclinations at Work originally appeared on usnews.com
