Day 11: The Bad Habit Hit List: A Countdown to Unf*cking Your Life, One Crappy Habit at a Time
#5 Perfectionism: If it’s not perfect, burn it… or maybe just don’t even bother in the first place!
Let’s talk about pertefconism…
Perfecshunism…
No, wait… pervectionipnotism…
F-U-U-U-C-K.
Perfectionism.
Ahh, nailed it!
That delightful little twat in your brain whispering, “If it’s not flawless, it’s worthless.”
You know, the one that turns every task into a high-stakes performance where you’re both the contestant and the brutal judge.
Like, “Don’t even bother! You’ll only get it wrong!”
The perfectionism curse: A brief horror story
Imagine you’re baking a cake (not me - I’m shit at baking… unless beans on toast counts?).
You carefully measure everything, mix it with the grace of a Michelin-starred chef, and place it in the oven.
But—oh no—it comes out with a tiny crack on the top.
That’s it.
Game over.
Bin it.
Set it on fire.
Set the kitchen on fire.
Banish yourself to the woods.
Never look at yourself in the mirror again!
Or, you just sit there…
Spiralling.
Telling yourself it’s not good enough, while staring at Pinterest-perfect cakes made by pros with decades of experience and a team of angelic elves.
Sound familiar?
Why perfectionism is a sneaky little time thief
Perfectionism doesn’t just waste your energy—it steals your time, your sanity, and your opportunities.
Instead of actually finishing something, you spend hours tweaking, adjusting, overanalysing, and starting over, because it’s not. quite. right.
You don’t launch the project because it’s not “ready.”
You don’t share your work because it’s not “good enough.”
You rewrite an email fifteen times because: what if they think you’re an idiot? (They do think you’re an idiot, but not because of your email skills!)
You spend 30 minutes adjusting a comma instead of just hitting send.
And let’s not even start on the absolute paralysis of starting because what if it isn’t perfect from the start?
What if I make a mistake?
If I don’t get it right from the start, the whole thing will be ruined!
Nope! I won’t even bother!
Newsflash: Perfect doesn’t exist (and that’s a good thing)
Ferpection perfection is an illusion (Dam Damn it!).
Even the so-called “best” people in any field put out work that has flaws.
Your favourite author (it’s me, isn’t it? 😏) has hippos typos in their drafts.
That Oscar-winning film?
Had scenes they wished they’d done differently (hello, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: 20th Anniversary edition).
The difference is, they finished the damn thing and put it out into the world (but later regretted it).
And after watching E.T, do you remember any of those rehashed moments that were supposed to be different?
Does that stick in your mind?
No!
You only remember the good bits: the bits that formed your childhood, the bits that made an impact on you.
The bits that made you talk endlessly to your mates about it in school the next day.
How amazing it was.
Notice?
Whilst the film had “imperfections” (according to Stephen Spielberg and critics), to a 13-year-old kid, the film was practically PERFECT in every way!
For every 10 people who could nitpick about every scene in that film, there are 100 more who think it’s one of the best films ever (me included!)
How to tell perfectionism to piss off
Alright, let’s get practical.
How do we stop this nonsense?
1. Set a Time Limit and Stick to It
You get one round of edits. Maybe two. After that, done is better than perfect.
Use timers, deadlines, whatever it takes. No more endless tweaking.
2. Adopt the “80% Rule”
If something is 80% good, ship it. That’s more than good enough. The last 20% is usually just you nitpicking for the sake of it.
3. Celebrate Imperfection Like It’s an Art Form
Messy? Fine. Awkward? Who cares? Most people won’t even notice.
Post the thing. Submit the thing. Move on with the thing (and your life).
4. Remind Yourself: Nobody Is Watching You That Closely
Hate to break it to you, but people are too busy with their own lives to analyse every tiny flaw in your work. Stop assuming the world is holding up scorecards. Take this article for example - it’s terrible, no one will read it, but I hit send anyway! (Anyone? No? Come on!)
5. Embrace the “Cringe” and Keep Going
You will look back at old work and cringe. That means you’re improving.
No one starts out great. Just do the damn thing anyway.
Final thoughts: Perfectionism is a fancy word for fear
At its core, perfectionism is just fear dressed up in a fancy suit.
Fear of failure.
Fear of judgment.
Fear of looking stupid.
But here’s the thing—not doing the thing is worse than doing it imperfectly.
So, let’s all agree to chill the hell out and just get things done.
Because, frankly, life is too short to waste agonising over the tiniest details.
Now go forth, make imperfect things, and enjoy the chaos.
It’s more fun that way.
Next up: #4. Avoiding Difficult Conversations: I’d tell you more about it, but I’m currently too busy avoiding writing this sentence… Oh, look, a distraction!