Is your work not good enough? Or is that just a good excuse not to finish it?
Hello perfectionism, my old friend. Isn't it time to change the record?
Calling all procrastinators, perfectionists and souls who self-sabotage, this one is for you (and well, me too).
Chances are if you fit into one of those categories I’ve described above then you’ve probably reached a point of self-reflection where you step back from your work and ask yourself: is this good enough?
Now, first of all, let’s address the elephant in the room, which is the intangible quality of ‘good enough’. Sorry brain, but ‘good enough’ can’t be universally quantified.
Instead what you actually mean is ‘good enough for (insert a person and/or people you’re worried about reading or viewing this), which could just be yourself.
When that sneaky little voice comes in and asks is your work good enough, it’s time to bat one back and ask is it really that your work is not good enough? Or is that just a good enough excuse for you not to finish it.
Ooft. I don’t know about you, but a lot of the time for me it’s the latter.
I eternally delay finishing big projects - ahh my YA novel I’m looking at you - because I’m convinced it’s not good enough. The thought snowballs into an immovable thought that this task is impossible. I simply can’t do it as it isn’t good.
But this inner critic that spurs me on to write better, work harder, read more and evolve is also stifling me from doing anything at all.
Sometimes that fear of judgement from our audience completely derails the task that we set out to do. Whether it’s launching a small business, writing a book, sharing your new creative project, it all gets bumped to the back burner out of fear that it isn’t good enough to share with others yet.
This then becomes a very good excuse never to finish that project.
Siblings of this train of thought include: it’s not ready yet or it’s not right yet. Aka, it will not be leaving my desk anytime soon, kind regards, but please bother someone else for their good work. None to be found here, sorry.
After all, if there isn’t a finished product to share then there’s nothing to judge, right? No one can comment on it as no one has seen it and it doesn’t matter if it is good or not good. Crisis averted. Well, momentarily… if a drawer filled with half-finished projects is on your vision board.
Instead, start to notice if you’re avoiding finishing something or maybe even starting something new and exciting, because you’re already scared about how it will be received.
Our brains are very good at providing excuses for not doing things. It’s too cold, too late, too early, too hard, too simple. I’m too tired. I’ll do it another time.
The excuses that feed into our perfectionism (it won’t be perfect, so I won’t bother) are usually ingrained in us at a young age, probably in education, so they’re extremely well trodden paths that we know all too well. Inevitably, it’s harder to break that cycle of thinking, but even being conscious of it is a good start.
When we start doing something new, we’re pushing into the unknown and it becomes not a question of not can it be done (unless your idea really is that groundbreaking, in which case, go you!), but can it be done by me?
In short, self-doubt and the fear of something never being perfect is one of the easiest ways to snub your own potential.
When that sneaky suspicion pops into your head again and you begin to question whether this idea or piece of writing isn’t good enough, try to focus on other qualities about it. Is it fulfilling? Is the tone of voice right? Break it down to what you were trying to say in the first place and reassess again. Then comes the rewrite. Take two.
In some ways, it’s easier when someone else is involved in this process and then there’s a hard deadline for a piece of work, as you know that eventually you have to release it into the wild and let go of whether it’s good enough, as it just has to be done.
But if it’s a personal or passion project, it’s more difficult to work through.
In January, I attended one of Alice Benham virtual strategy days and one of her many great tips for business owners, which she talks about online too, is to champion messy action.
It’s the antidote to perfection and procrastination, as you simply have to take action and it intentionally shouldn’t be perfect.
It brings the focus back to taking action, as opposed to only doing the thing when it’s right or good enough or perfect… as we know that is unattainable.
So dive into some messy action this week and be kind to yourself if you feel that there’s a mental block and you’re getting in your own way, as we all tune into that brainwave now and again.
On the bookshelf:
I’m notorious in my book club for having multiple books on the go, and this week is no different. Naturally I’m reading Sarah J Maas’ latest epic, The House of Flame and Shadow. I’m trying to savour it and stretch out the reading process, as I have a tendency to become engrossed and pull some all-nighters to finish it.
I’m also reading Beth McColl’s new book, Romanticise Your Life for a dose of joy and self-love in the month of all things love. Roll on that main character energy right?
What I’m watching:
Well this evening I’ll be watching The Marvels as it’s just dropped on Disney+. I watched it three times at the cinema as it brings me that much joy, but totally understand the MCU is a daunting beast to approach if you haven’t dipped your toe in already.
Last week, I devoured Domino Day on BBC iPlayer, it’s a Manchester-based modern witch series and honestly, need I say more? I also binged season 2 of Trigger Point on ITVX, which was infinitely better than season one (which I thoroughly enjoyed).
I also watched Ghostbusters: Afterlife on Netflix, before it leaves on Saturday, ahead of the next instalment arriving next month, which kickstarted an entire Ghostbusters rewatch for me. Oops.
Cinema wise: Argylle is a wild, hot mess, but also super fun? Fans of Kingsman will definitely enjoy the action-comedy-farce of it all too. Fans of cats will enjoy Alfie too.
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