Do you like having all your ducks in a row?
It’s one thing to be organised, or well prepared before we embark on a project, a report or initiative. It’s another to require everything to be just so before you get moving on that undertaking, or pass on applying for a job in which you’d shine because you don’t have all the requisite qualifications.
If you’ve attended one of my presentations on perfectionism or resilience, you may have heard me refer to myself as a recovering perfectionist. I consciously rein in such tendencies. For example, when writing an article here or for other publications, I set a timer. I sometimes do the same when designing presentation slides as I play with fonts, images and so on. That’s because I care about the quality of my work, and want to deliver relevant, informative and engaging materials. I want my work to resonate with you. It could be tempting to edit and tweak here and there, yet there’s a limit to what’s practical.
Knowing when to stop
Christabell, a highly respected EA I know, mentioned her “good enough” approach to me years ago. We worked in the same sector, at different ends of the country, and Christabell was among my early Real Careers interviewees. The phrase, “good enough” need not imply subpar or even average quality. It does not imply an absence of proofreading, or inattention to accuracy. To me, good enough means you know when to stop polishing or reworking something.
Quality
Producing quality work is important, and we should all take pride in our deliverables. The quest for perfection, however, can actually hinder our productivity. I’ll write more about this when providing the results of this Weekend Poll. Let’s head straight to it! I’ve posed these questions before, and it’s always interesting to see how results compare over time.
What about you?
Please take a couple of minutes to complete the poll below. As always, I look forward to hearing what you have to say and will publish the results here.
