Working on my thesis research proposal has been quite the journey, and not always in the direction I would have chosen. A personal revelation that struck me during the process is the tight and rather vexing relationship between perfectionism, procrastination, and paralysis. It’s often said that the perfect is the enemy of the good. In my quest for the ‘just right’ words to articulate my thoughts, I found this saying to be glaringly accurate.

I wrote a small piece on dealing with perfection paralysis. It includes 7 tips to focus on the things to do.

  • KoryEnglish
    3·
    1 year ago

    Great write-up, it reminds me of the time when I wrote my thesis, these kinds of tasks make it very likely to walk into that trap.

    But I’ve also noticed that in corporate environments. It’s most often combined with “we make no mistakes” and the constant fear of being laid-off if your “performance” isn’t top notch. It’s also a broader issue in the society as whole of course, but see, I have to remind myself yet again, that I do not need to make “the perfect reply post” and I can just stop right here :).

    • credmpOPEnglish
      2·
      1 year ago

      So very true, I must say that there probably is also some cultural bias here. I can imagine that in a country where you have to fear being laid off based on a mistake makes it hard to take a step back. From my experience I have never worked in such an environment, it would seem like a very unhealthy environment to me. Do you have such an experience?

      • KoryEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        Yes I do have that kind of experience, also while working in a leadership position. They don’t openly tell you, but you know. So it becomes very hard to talk about mistakes in general. But they happen of course. And I feel like this kind of “management behaviour” has increased in recent years. But that’s a different topic :)

        • credmpOPEnglish
          2·
          1 year ago

          Thanks for sharing. Over here there is an active movement toward a more mentally healthy approach to work. It will take a long while to fully get there I would say, but at least it is a start.

  • t0fr@lemmy.caEnglish
    2·
    1 year ago

    Super cool write-up. This definitely speaks to me. I’m exactly the same. Understanding this and acknowledging that this is what I do and who I am really helps me out with this