Get rid of perfection anxiety: tips from creators of content
You've probably met someone who couldn't be able to finish their project due to the fact that they believed every element needed to be perfect. But, perfection doesn't exist (truly). As a result, your work is left to sit unfinished in their computers or their studio. Some might consider the time invested wasted since nobody gets to be able to experience what the designer produced.
Perfectionionism is a significant obstacle for entrepreneurs and creators. According to a study from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, perfectionism can be linked with "feelings of failure, guilt and indecision, as well as procrastination, guilt, shame and lower self-esteem." As a result, people struggle to get ahead with their task or project - this has been dubbed perfectionism paralysis.
However, how can you get over it?
Let go of perfectionist thinking and recalibrating to a more actual standard of what is ready to share is a challenge. For help with this, we invited two knowledge creators to speak on their experiences of conquering perfection paralysis during a virtual summit held in the month of August in 2022. You can watch the session here:
Before we get into the secrets, get to know our panelists:
Steve Harris is a global business coach that helps high-performing organizations and individuals connect the gap between their potential and performance. He's been described as "ruthless" He has worked with over 1,000 clients, pushing them to put in the work and achieve stellar outcomes.
Grace Abbott is a multi-hyphenate designer, strategist, and branding expert who specializes in growing businesses at the intersection of commerce and content. In the last five years, she has been dedicated to creating To Be Magnetic - turning an old wellness blog into a rapidly growing membership site - the most popular destination for Neural Manifestation.
The responses have been edited to ensure brevity.
How come people become obsessed with perfection?
How have you overcome perfectionism?
Digital goods don't have to be perfect, but they still need to reach the required level of quality in order to be sold. Can a designer set their standards to a level of quality that's still will benefit their company as well as their image?
Grace says:
"Consider whether it reflects the level of content and knowledge you're planning to be putting out? Does it tell a compelling narrative about the value you've got to offer? And then of course, things like making sure you're editing your copy, that you have high-quality audio and video. All those things that are likely to help make the users experience as good as is possible.
But I think more than anything else, go to the next level. There is no need for any kind of high-end production team to make an excellent video. You can shoot something nice with your iPhone. Be sure to ensure that there's no background and the audio quality is excellent.
What's the first step a knowledge creator can do to assist them in creating their first digital item?
Steve says:
"I notice that the majority of business owners are engrossed with their message and they're not considering the market. You must ask yourself - do I have a market that will accept my message? Now, how do you identify if there's any market to your message?
It's actually quite easy - ask certain questions like:
- What's the issue that my words or passion for solving can help solve?
- Who's the cause and requires a solution?
- What are the folks you're called to serve?
- What are the best ways to find these?
- How will they be able to
- What amount of money are they able to spend?
- What is the reason anyone should choose you over the millions of alternatives which are available?