Time management

"The perfectionist is doomed to starvation in the midst of plenty."

Ken McCarthy


Perfectionism, like a mirage, lures you into a desert of false hopes. Your ideal hovers just out of reach while your day slips away. Regain your productivity! Learn to identify the 3 stages of poisonous perfectionism. Then use the following tips to reclaim your power over your time.

Which Set of Symptoms Match Yours the Most Closely?


Mild: " I waste time fine-tuning things that only I will notice. Then I scramble to finish the rest of the day's work. " Antidote: Develop a mantra that brings fresh perspective to a stuck situation. For example... "That'll do for now." "It's good enough."
Moderate: "Anything worth doing is worth doing right." "I seem to spend twice as much time as others on the final stages of a project, and rarely convince myself it's really complete." "I make several false starts and never feel satisfied with my finished product." "I work so intently on some projects that I never get around to other ones." Antidote: Your challenge is to open up a closed system of endless revisions. In addition to creating a positive mantra, establish a reasonable time frame to complete a project. Set an alarm, if you need to. When the time is up, change activities, no matter what. This becomes easier with practice. Also, consider broadening your perspective by asking a supportive friend or co-worker to review your work. The more actively you replace your all-or-nothing messages with your chosen mantra, the more you'll welcome feedback that dilutes the harshness of perfectionism.
Severe: "I often lose sleep at night rehearsing the events of the following day." "I'm so afraid of not being good enough that I become immobilized." Antidote: Recognize that your excessive standards are padlocking your productivity. Instead of putting your project under the microscope, examine your expectations of success. Have you developed inflated ideas of what "perfection" can bring? By replacing them with a realistic perspective, you can often deflate ballooning fears of failure.

If perfection remains a deeply ingrained value, substitute ideals of a perfect performance with a vision of perfect balance in your life. The essence of balance is learning when to let go. By participating in a balanced life rather than performing for impossible rewards, you will cultivate new strengths, and take genuine satisfaction in regaining control of your time.


"Getting the thing done, whatever it is, in time to actually
use and enjoy it is what matters the most."
Ken McCarthy

What other ways can you benefit from time management skills?