One hundred conditions to get the best possible, and one hundred reasons not to do anything planned: how our pursuit of the ideal leads to procrastination.
Column for the magazine. Not such a simple matter as it might seem at first glance. Personally, I take this process seriously, and I have a whole system.
1. Nothing should distract me from the creative process, so I prefer to do it when other things are done.
2. I must have inspiration, I don’t want to write boring columns.
3. If I have already sat down to do this, then I must write it in its entirety, without stopping, so as not to lose courage!
4. I must be in a good mood.
5. There must be order on my desk, it makes it easier for me to concentrate.
The only pity is that I still get distracted by phone calls. And there are a couple of important things that I just can’t put off. And what’s the point of sitting down now for 15 minutes if I still don’t finish it, especially since the mood is already starting to deteriorate. I’d better go to dinner, maybe some inspiration will come.
Let me tell you the truth, I don’t write columns like that, otherwise you wouldn’t read any of them. The rules and requirements listed above are one of the main causes of procrastination. Many people do not realize that someone whose behavior from the outside looks like a monstrous laziness, often turns out to be a monstrous perfectionist. It is clear that if you place so many demands on yourself and the environment, any undertaking runs the risk of seeming an incredibly difficult task that you will want to put off.
But why do some perfectionists succeed in doing things, while others play for time? Successful perfectionists can be content with “almost perfect” work and not criticize themselves for minor inconsistencies, while pathological perfectionism, leading to anxiety and inaction, is associated with the highest unattainable standards and self-criticism (1). How can a pathological perfectionist get out of the vicious circle? One way is to become aware of useless rules and attitudes and try to act contrary to them in order to see in practice how effective it is.
So, what will help me finally finish this column? I work at an uncleaned desk, sometimes I lose inspiration, and I know that I have a lot of unfinished business. But I do not criticize myself and allow myself to work at my own pace and in any mood.
And just try to say that this column is not perfect!
(1) P. Gnilka, J. Ashby & C Noble «Multidimensional perfectionism and anxiety: Differences among individuals with perfectionism and tests of a coping-mediation model», Journal of Counseling & Development, 2012, vol. 90, № 4.