How to Manage Perfectionism to Boost Productivity and Support Mental Health

Perfectionism is a personality trait that manifests as a desire to reach ideal outcomes. Sometimes it is considered a positive trait; however, many adverse effects stem from this for the individual and the organisations they are a part of when it goes too far. This article looks at the causes, warning signs and effects of perfectionism and everyday ways to manage and overcome perfectionist thinking patterns and behaviours.

Managing perfectionism involves day-to-day techniques and longer-term strategies. Modifying self-talk, avoiding unrealistic comparisons, mindfulness, and adjusting expectations and mindset are helpful daily tools. Strong self-care habits, forming supportive social circles and therapy are practical approaches in the long term.

What is perfectionism?

Perfectionism refers to the need or urge for excellence and accuracy. It is an attitude towards life that involves holding oneself and others accountable for achieving a high performance or quality in every task undertaken. It generally consists of focusing on small details, striving for excellence even when it may not be necessary, and taking responsibility for outcomes regardless of how small the task at hand might be. 

Perfectionists are often described as having excessively high expectations that they cannot meet, often leading to guilt or dissatisfaction. Some people, usually perfectionists themselves, sometimes argue that perfectionism can be a positive trait, as it drives hard work and achievement. However, in most cases, it does this in a way that is detrimental to productivity and overall wellbeing.

Perfectionists may also feel pressure from external sources such as parents, teachers, colleagues, friends, managers or peers who expect them to excel in everything they do.

Perfectionism can be very damaging to mental health, but understanding the causes of it can help you better manage it.

Causes of perfectionism

The underlying causes of perfectionist behaviours are wide and varied, making it no surprise that the issue is as pervasive as it is. If you demonstrate perfectionist behaviours, you may have had one of the following root causes, or it may be something else entirely that triggered these behaviours. The common threads among these causes of perfectionism are feelings of inadequacy (not being good enough) and the need for control due to lacking it in past situations.

Childhood performance pressure

Childhood performance pressures, especially from parents, can devastate children’s mental health and productivity. Many parents pressure their children to achieve high academic, athletic, or other unrealistic or challenging goals. This pressure can cause children to become overwhelmed by inadequacy and low self-esteem, making them feel like they must be perfect to succeed. These influences on children are then translated into lasting habits and behaviours as they grow up.

History of high achievement

Those who have achieved accolades and high results in the past can feel pressure to continue to do so. This pressure can come from external sources, such as colleagues, managers and relatives or internal sources, such as your expectations, goal-setting practices and self-talk. The higher the past achievement in the past, the higher the level of expected achievement in the future. Coming up short of these unrealistic expectations can lead to a doubling down of perfectionist traits to try and avoid that disappointment again.

Fear of judgement or disapproval

Everyone cares about what other people think of them to some extent. For some people, this is a lot stronger motivator than for others. People with an external view of identity (as in, they see themselves as who others perceive them to be) have a more challenging time with this than those with a more internal view of who they are. If your identity is closely linked to what other people think of you, then you are more likely to want to display excellence, leading to developing perfectionism.

Mental health disorders

Several mental health conditions are closely linked to perfectionism, including anxiety and some cases of obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD.

Perfectionist behaviours and examples

The signs of perfectionism, or how it manifests in behaviours, are individual. No two people with perfectionist tendencies will present in precisely the same way. Coping mechanisms and focuses will vary widely. The list below is not comprehensive, but it can give a good idea of common types of perfectionist behaviours.

Task avoidance

Many perfectionists will only do a task if they can do it perfectly and up to the high expected standards. This attitude can lead to procrastination, action faking (doing related actions but not making progress on the vital task), or trying to find ways out of doing the task entirely (including delegation or convincing themselves they don’t need to do it at all).

Examples include: making excuses for not beginning tasks, skipping classes, avoiding chores, evading activities you do not excel in, and waiting for the “right moment” to complete a task you can do anytime.

Focus on product over process

It is common for perfectionists to hang all of their hopes on an end product rather than valuing the process undertaken to get there. This mindset can make open-ended projects, learning tasks and other activities that lack a clear end product tough for perfectionists to manage.

Examples include: seeing a 98% result as a terrible result and considering half-finished projects as abject failures.

Overcompletion of tasks

Even when a task has been completed satisfactorily, a perfectionist is likely to seek out and find flaws they feel they need to address. This process leads to them spending far too much time for little gain. Due to this wasted time, the overall productivity of perfectionists is often lower than their peers. Combined with procrastination, this can significantly impact the output capacity of perfectionists.

Examples include: rewriting emails repeatedly until they are word-perfect and being unable to move past tasks when they are done.

Emotional effects

Perfectionists often display low self-esteem due to their repeated failure to meet the unrealistic standards set for them. They generally have negative self-talk patterns, with critical and often cruel self-commentary. Perfectionists are more likely to exhibit “all-or-nothing” thinking, where something is either perfect or a failure, and there is no in-between. Perfectionists also often demonstrate a high level of defensiveness when they or their work is criticised and be unable to be happy when others succeed.

These emotional effects lead to higher average stress levels and anxiety development for many perfectionists. The inability to switch off or relax is also commonly reported, exacerbating anxiety.

Examples include: feeling jealousy over other people’s accomplishments, frequent critical or negative self-talk and feeling constantly judged.

Need for control

Many perfectionists have trouble taking a back seat and allowing others to call the shots. They either feel they know better or are uncomfortable following someone else’s lead. This attitude can lead to controlling behaviours in relationships and a lack of trust. Difficulty delegating tasks can arise as perfectionists can be unhappy with the work of others and feel the need to do it themselves to get it done to their standard.

Examples include: jumping on mistakes made by others, excessive organising and list-making and a need to be good at everything.

Rumination

Rumination is a pervasive issue for perfectionists. When ruminating, you think about a particular problem or situation repeatedly without taking action. If left unchecked, this behaviour can have a devastating impact on your productivity levels and mental health.

Examples include: Still thinking about that silly thing you said to a friend weeks ago, spending an hour rechecking the route for tomorrow’s drive and thinking about what you would do if this or that happened or obsessing over a photograph that makes you look chunky on social media and feeling like everyone is judging you.

Impacts on wellbeing

Many severe and significant impacts on wellbeing are likely to be brought about by continued perfectionist tendencies. They include, but are not limited to:

• Lower self-esteem and distorted self-image
• Lower productivity due to procrastination, avoidance and task over completion
• Lower creativity due to fear of judgment and risk avoidance
• Development or worsening of stress and anxiety disorders
• Higher risk of overwork, exhaustion and burnout
• Higher risk of migraines, eating disorders, depression
• Strained relationships
• Lower life satisfaction

How to manage day to day

Perfectionism comes in many forms, and therefore the management of it needs to be individualised for different cases. However, there are a few strategies to choose from, depending on the severity and how perfectionism affects you. If you need to get your perfectionism under control in the short term, try these tips:

Change your inner monologue

Negative self-talk can have a massive knock-on effect on how you see yourself and what you can achieve and overcome. Something as simple as being kinder to yourself can break destructive patterns and help you overcome perfectionism.

In addition, try to become more aware of when your thoughts are spiralling, going in circles or unhelpful. Create a plan for breaking these thought patterns, such as doing 10 minutes of strenuous exercise, meditation, watching a short video etc. Use this time to stop the thought cycle, and return to your task with a fresh mind.

Avoid comparing yourself to others

People generally only show us the parts of their life they are proud of and want us to see. For every “flawless” influencer, talented colleague or other inspirational individual, there are shortcomings and weaknesses you do not get to see. Remember that no one is perfect. It is your right and theirs to portray any chosen appearance to the world. However, it is vital to avoid falling for believing the impressions of others. Bypass comparisons, and judge yourself by your actions, accomplishments and standards without reference to others.

Try mindfulness

Mindfulness is about paying attention to the present moment and your current thoughts, sensations and feelings. Practising mindfulness regularly can help you become more aware, making it easier to recognise and manage your thoughts and emotions, including in cases where perfectionism is getting the better of you!

Use checklists and planners (in moderation)

Checklists and planners can help you break down tasks into smaller manageable chunks, set deadlines and keep an eye on the bigger picture. These are all valuable things you can be to assist with overcoming perfectionism. However, it is essential to remember to include these things in moderation. Rewriting and tweaking plans and lists is a form of action-faking and is not helpful. Set a time limit to make your list or plan, and then act on it. Tick things off as you go, and keep to set times for completion to avoid procrastination and over-completion of tasks.

If you want somewhere to start, check out our free daily planners or our Pomodoro planner in the shop.

Adjust expectations

Most perfectionists have an unrealistic view of what is possible and what they want to achieve. Take some time to step back and ask yourself the following questions:

1. Is my goal realistic?
2. What would be considered an acceptable outcome for this task?
3. Is anything above the acceptable outcome going to be genuinely beneficial?
4. Is the extra effort I’m putting in going to be rewarded?
5. Is there something more worthy of spending my effort on?

Try to be honest with yourself. Answering these questions will give you a clearer view of your task and what to do.

Develop a growth mindset

A fixed mindset is the belief that intelligence and skill are innate and intrinsic for each person and do not change much over time. Conversely, a growth mindset is a belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through hard work, dedication, and resilience.

Because learning requires acknowledgement of weaknesses and taking risks, it can be difficult for perfectionists to face. It requires embracing challenges and viewing failure as a learning opportunity instead of something to be feared or avoided. With practice, this mindset makes it easier to take risks, stay open-minded about different perspectives, manage perfectionism, and increase productivity levels.

How to manage long-term

While the tips above are fantastic for getting a handle on perfectionism in the short term, you can also do other things in the long term to make perfectionism management easier. These include:

Forming accepting social circles

Finding people you feel comfortable around, and can be yourself in front of, is crucial for perfectionists that feel pressure from the judgement of others. If there are people in your life who make you feel uncomfortable and judged, spend less time around them. Foster and care for relationships with people who make you feel confident and good about yourself. Reach outside your current social circles to find new friends, if required. Try and push yourself to participate in activities you aren’t that good at with your friends, and try not to worry about what they think. They most likely won’t notice or care if your performance in any activity isn’t perfect but will enjoy spending time with you.

Maintaining self-care routines

Dealing with perfectionism requires a lot of resilience. Breaking well-established behaviours and thought patterns is challenging and takes mental and emotional energy. Ensure that this energy is in reserve by keeping up your self-care habits. Diet, sleep and exercise are the basics, but also ensure you take time for your emotional, mental, social and spiritual needs!

Trying therapy

If your perfectionism is severe, significantly impacting your life, or the self-adjustment strategies are not working, consider therapy as the next step. A licenced therapist, psychologist or psychiatrist will be able to help you more thoroughly explore the causes of your traits and develop a plan with you for moving forward.

If you are looking for an accessible and cheaper therapy option, you may wish to try BetterHelp – a fully online solution for telehealth therapy appointments and care. (This is not an affiliate link, and Lore of Life has no relationship with BetterHelp. It’s just a genuinely fantastic service we believe in).

Conclusion

Maintaining a healthy level of motivation for good performance is a challenging endeavour. It’s even more complicated when perfectionism rears its head and creates an unattainable ideal for success. However, it is possible to manage perfectionist tendencies and find a balance between striving for excellence and remaining productive.

The key to managing perfectionism lies in developing self-awareness, recognising what triggers the tendency to strive for the impossible standard of perfection, learning how to identify signs of stress or anxiety that accompany it, and determining what can be done to counter those feelings. Additionally, it is crucial to be aware of self-care needs that can help support mental health while one works towards greater productivity.