Perfectionism

None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.

How this was put together

If you only read a few

  1. Aim for 'good enough' outcomes.

    That's where the money is.

    one person who lived it

  2. Lower your standards for how things must be done while maintaining hard work to reduce stress.

    It leads to becoming more relaxed.

    one person who lived it

  3. Adopt a 'good enough' mindset to reduce the burden of trying to be the best.

    It reduces the pressure of striving for perfection.

    2 people, independently

    • Shift your target from 'perfection' to 'good enough' to sustain your efforts and spend less time in slumps.1
  4. Abandon the 'all or nothing' mindset and allow yourself to enjoy life while pursuing your goals.

    Trusting yourself to handle outcomes reduces the burden of fear of failure.

    one person who lived it

  5. Adopt a 'version 0.1' mindset instead of aiming for a final version to break perfectionism cycles.

    Iteration beats perfection.

    one person who lived it

  1. Focus on the realistic effort you can put in rather than obsessing over perfect results.

    Knowing you sacrificed what you were willing to sacrifice makes it easier to accept the results.

    2 people, independently

  2. Strive for imperfect progress instead of perfectionism, which leads to delay and worse results.

    Perfectionism does not improve anything.

    one person who lived it

  3. Adopt the mindset that consistent, slow, and imperfect effort leads to greatness, as even successful people perform poorly on a micro-level.

    one person who lived it

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