5 reasons why I spent 1 hour on a 10 minute task .
I’ve just concluded a job pitch on problogger and I feel xxx. Why? Because it took me an hour to write and If you know problogger then you know a job proposal shouldn’t take that long.
The problem here was my perfectionism(that little monster that makes you loose sight of the big picture by obsessing over minute and irrelevant details)
Sometimes am over it- I write my blog posts super fast. But sometimes it hooks me silly - I spend an hour writing a 10 minute task.
Here are 5 reasons perfectionism sometimes gets to me and how I cope
1. The need to appear perfect.
The obsessing over minute details , the edits over commas and what not are just due to my need to appear perfect. Whenever I throw this need away and belief that the choice of a single word doesn’t determine if I get a job am actually able to slide through my work in peace and style.
2 I really want what I am applying for:
Even when am not cringing over a comma I can sometimes spend hours if the stakes are high.
The proposal I was applying for had a high pay attached and I was suited for it. All I had to do was tweak some previous samples write a good cover and I was sure I would get an interview.
If it was some other job with a lower pay I wouldn’t spend this much time.
Thus perfectionism can occur when you wish to appear perfect but also when you need to.
3. Concentration levels are low:
Concentration is the amount of heart and soul that goes into an activity and determines completion time.
Sometimes we could be at our lower ends and when this happens tasks could easily lull and take up longer time than they should. . Maybe I was.
4. Complexity
If ever we learnt to value simplicity our lives would be more simple.
Simplicity refers to how much of the essential you are willing to accept. It isn’t paltry but requires strength as only strong minded people are can examine what’s essential for life and stick with it regardless of the razzmatazz going on around them.
My proposal and society sometimes overlook simplicity; sticking to the minimum and I paid the price with my time. essential.
by the sheer ability to live minimally we produce great results.
5. think things through
A well thought out plan saves time a hasty one firtters it.
Take the time to think things through before embarking on a project. I spent a good ton of my time typing and deleting because I wasn’t clear on what I wanted to write.
The reason ? I jumped on the keyboard without thinking things through.
Sometimes we are all in this haste to get a job done after than Usain bolt would finish a race and we forget that Words are only as good as the thinking behind them.
Perfectionism made a proposal last an hour what has it cost you?
