Are you building a means to an end or an end? If you were a beaver building a dam, you’d just get to work and finish as fast as possible to go on to the next step: finding a mate. But some beavers, apparently, are perfectionists. I think this Onion story (which I discovered on 37signals) is funny partly because we all assume that animals are programmed to follow their instincts for self preservation and reproduction, unlike humans who have the freedom to create whatever they can imagine and the freedom to stand in their own ways.
Perfectionism may seem like having high standards, but often it’s just another way to procrastinate. Procrastinators can’t seem to get started, and perfectionists can’t get finished.
Hint: check your reality. Is the time you’re spending worth the final result? This gets a little fuzzy applied to more creative pursuits, but successful artists do manage their time, as I wrote in my post about Twyla Tharp.
Hi Claire! Caught your comment on 37signals - liked your line on procrastinators and perfectionists! Working on a writing project at the moment and definitely suffering from both - i'm really standing in my own way! Thanks for your thoughts...
Posted by: Thomas Holmes | April 20, 2006 2:02 PM | Permalink to Comment