Are you a procrastinator? do you know why?...Maybe you're a perfectionist

is perfectionism a cause of procrastination

There's a widely accepted idea that perfectionists will probably be a success, that their dedication to have just about everything perfect is really what drives them. But yet is it equally realistic that they're so neat and clean and need everything so perfect that these people end up NOT accomplishing the work that they need to for fear of not having it perfect?



what precisely is a Perfectionist?



"A perfectionist is somebody who is unhappy by anything that does not match very high standards".



Per-fec-tion-ist [per-fek-shuh-nist]



Noun

1. someone who adheres to or believes in perfectionism

2. someone who demands perfection of himself, herself, or other people.



Adjective

3.of, for the purpose of, or distinguished by perfection or perfectionism





Now you are aware of the meaning of perfectionism, but how do you know if you're a perfectionist? And in what way does this correspond with procrastination?



Lets say you hold yourself to a definite quality, without standards its demonstrated that people achieve a smaller amount, for this reason standards are really good. Having said that if we hold ourselves to standards that happen to be improbable and therefore succeeding is just not sufficient, you have to be perfect, you have a dilemma.



A few other behaviors that probably imply a perfectionist mindset:

Can't settle on exactly what to put on in the morning.

Will want everybody to compliment your work or tell you you have done an excellent job.

Hoarding items, just incase you may need them.

The inability to delegate due to the fact absolutely no one can do it correctly.

Trying out a new activity then giving up after two tries because you just aren't as good as everyone else.

Trying to change others, for instance, correcting them if they ever mispronounce something.





Lets look at these phrases, to see if you're able to connect with any of them

Absolutely nothing good comes from making mistakes

I've got to do things correctly the first time

I've got to do everything successfully, not just the aspects I know I'm effective in

If I can't do a thing correctly then there's no point even making an effort

I rarely give myself credit any time I do well simply because there's invariably something more I could do

At times I'm so concerned with getting one process completed perfectly that I don't have time to finish the remainder of my work



If these statements seem like you then Perfectionism may well be a problem.

So how can this have an effect on procrastination?

Well if you have the behaviors described you might have some things which are influencing you.



It's possible the quality you keep yourself to is not possible and for that reason leads to anxiety and panic, you start to think of yourself as being a disappointment, and if you can not be perfect at a particular thing then there is no reason in doing it.



You've got a fear of being unable to reach perfection and so find something less threatening to do.



It's also possible to be a perfectionist in different areas of your life, for example you may not care that your house is a mess but if you don't do well at sport training you get discouraged.



Consequently how will you modify this way of thinking?



We need to begin thinking about the way you assess yourself (and other individuals). The truth is, no one is perfect or imperfect, there are too many complexities within every one of us that there can not be any kind of comparison of yourself to another.

You need to understand that the standards you have set

yourself are far too high they're unattainable. Your assessment of your self-worth really should not reflect how bad or good you have done the task, but reflect the fact that you're a person with a variety of abilities, feelings and experiences.

Perfection doesn't describe the chaos or beauty of life

Credit: http://www.mylifepuzzle.com/2012/05/17/why-perfectionism-might-be-ruining-your-life/

To the perfectionist in all of us