WARNING: Perfectionism will Kill You

If you can’t see the video of me with my “bed head” (note to self: look in a damn mirror first, next time, lol) below in your email or reader, watch WARNING: Perfectionism will Kill You on the blog.

You are in Danger

Over the past couple weeks discussions about perfectionism have cropped up.

Paralyzed by Perfectionism at Puttylike. Be sure to listen to the podcast and check out the comments where I join in the discussion.
Are You Perfecting Yourself into Poverty? is my previous post on the perils of perfectionism.

It seems we’re not quite done with the subject, yet. Since my previous post on perfectionism my thoughts have crystallized more, so I’m taking another crack at it, here.

My take on perfectionism is that it’s one of the worst ideals you can possibly have.

At least, the way we normally understand perfectionism.

Perfectionism prevents people from ever even getting started, it prevents them from finishing what they start and it prevents them from launching & selling.

Evolutionary Perfectionism

There’s nothing wrong with you. You just need a new and better way to make things “perfect” that takes into account human nature and the way things work on the web.

Perfection isn’t some show-stopping preconceived ideal. It’s actually an evolutionary process:

Create > Launch > Get Feedback > Revise/Add Value > Relaunch/Raise Price > Get Feedback > Revise/Add Value > Etc.

Does it Work?

I used evolutionary perfectionism to create How to Write an Ebook that Doesn’t Suck (and Sell it from Your Blog) in no time and rack up over a thousand dollars in sales in less than a week. Not too shabby (and the process is outlined in detail in the book itself).

And, I’m still using it, because I’m already working on the next revision/price hike (hint: get it now at the lower price so you get free updates later).

Don’t Let Perfectionism Kill You

Instead of letting perfectionism kill you, use evolutionary perfectionism to “kill it” (rock out hard with your bad self and unleash your awesome onto the world).

Go. Do. Launch. Sell. Make people happy (including yourself).

Filed Under: Blogging

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http://puttylike.com/ Emilie Wapnick

It's funny, I was originally going to title my post “Perfectionism will kill you! Did we learn nothing from Black Swan?” but I decided not to spoil the ending of the film for people..

I really love your approach to failure. You simply work it into your system and prepare for it. Very wise. I'm definitely trying that out with my next launch.

Also I have to commend you for making a video. I've done the “I'm not in the mood to write, gonna talk instead” thing, and sometimes it works better than others. It's also a chance to push myself and do something I'm way less comfortable with, but I do it in the spirit of growth (and failure… which is awesome).

Heh anyway… good stuff! And thanks for the shoutout.
- http://remarkablogger.com Michael Martine
  
  Heya, Emilie. Well, I’d be lying if I said you weren’t one of my favorite people (all the sudden, it seems, but that’s how it goes). Sorry to steal your post title from the collective subconscious! The video thing instead of writing always ends up being a misnomer because I end up writing a bunch anyway (more than I intended to). So yeah sometimes it’s definitely better than others. But when it’s “others” I don’t have to upload those and you never see ‘em.
http://courtcan.com Courtney Cantrell

Thanks for the (r)evolutionary thoughts, Michael. I'm going to try to timplement this concept when writing my blog posts. I read about how other bloggers hammer out their inspiring, succinct, effective posts in half an hour or less — while I can't seem to get one finished in fewer than two hours.

I don't know what else I might be doing “wrong”…but I do know that part of the problem is my perfectionism: editing too much as I write, going over the post again and again, feeling unsatisfied even when I do finally hit “publish.”

Learning curve, I guess. Process. Growth. Yeah, I know all of that. No less frustrating, though.
- http://courtcan.com Courtney Cantrell
  
  And in the meantime, when I'm not being a perfectionist and re-reading everything before I post it, I'll be inventing new words for your viewing pleasure.
  
  timplement: v.
  –verb
  1. to perform; fulfull; carry out while accompanied by timpani
  
  *case in point* *sigh*
  - http://remarkablogger.com Michael Martine
    
    I love made-up words.
    
    *Michael Martine
    
    *Blog Alchemist
    
    My profiles: [image: Facebook] <http: remarkablogger=”" http://www.facebook.com=“”> [image:
    
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    Twitter]<http: remarkablogger=”" twitter.com=”">
    
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    - http://courtcan.com Courtney Cantrell
      
      Actually, I do too. They're pretty cramazing. ; )
- http://remarkablogger.com Michael Martine
  
  Don't feel like you have to live up to anybody else's standards. It usually
  
  takes me at least two hours to write a blog post. And to me, it's fucking
  
  worth it. Do what feels right to you but be aware of the edges of your
  
  comfort zone, your self-censoring and your perfectionism.
  
  I usually do not apply these ideas to blog posts. Once they're done, they're
  
  done. But if it makes sense for you then go for it. Certainly you can apply
  
  this to pages on your blogsite. Everyone should rewrite their About pages to
  
  keep things fresh.
  - http://courtcan.com Courtney Cantrell
    
    Writing is the first thing I think of when I hear the word “perfectionism”; it's just what's most immediate to me. Blog posts fall into that category. Yes, once they're done, they're done. But it's getting them done and hitting “publish” that's the problem. ; ) I tinker and tweak and worry myself into a mess.
    
    But you're right to point out “edges of my comfort zone.” Maybe I'm just being too hard on myself, accusing myself of being too much of a perfectionist. I *should* get out of my comfort zone, but not so far that I'm driving away readers because I'm being sloppy.
    - http://remarkablogger.com Michael Martine
      
      Being a little scared to hit Publish because you were raw or personal or
      
      opinionated is a good thing.
      - http://courtcan.com Courtney Cantrell
        
        You really do hit the nail on its proverbial little head, don't you? It's true, I do censor myself too much. I'm still overcoming lifetime of training that says, “Don't say that; you'll offend someone. Don't say that; you'll hurt someone's feelings.” Not that I want to hurt anyone's feelings — but I do want to write truth, no matter how gritty it gets.
        
        Oh crap. There's another new blog post to write. *sigh*
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Gilliesellman

When I was in art school and trying to get my paintings where I wanted them my young son used to say mom why don't you just call it finished.
- http://remarkablogger.com Michael Martine
  
  Interesting! Maybe impatience can be a virtue, sometimes.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_XGM3ZJR4UUGMPGPDKTCSYVIB3M Chris Victorymountain

I am working as a webmaster and been doing it for more than 10 years now. I struggle of perfectionism too. Every time I create a website I have a hard time to get it finished and up and running. There are always things that I want to change or improve. This was a big problem for me at the beginning but now I have a plan for not getting me perfectionism get in my way. The first thing I do is tell myself how much time each task can take. So if I make a banner I tell myself that I have got 30 minutes to complete it. This helps me a lot. i do not know if there are anyone lese out there with the same problem as me. If so please let me know what you have done to suppress it.
http://twitter.com/whoopiepiesuk Whoopie Pies UK

I think perfectionism needs to be a balance! I have thrown away far too many cakes because I judged them to be less than perfect, yet my partner thought they were fine. Feedback from customers and neutral parties is key.
http://www.davidwalker.tv David Walker

Can’t believe I missed this post! I used to struggle with perfectionism all the time, but have gradually learned to just do something and not get stuck in infinite planning. I know a lot of people who still do though, as it’s something very difficult to let go. ~David Walker