Challenges of the Remote-Age: Perfectionism

Conceptualising Perfection

I have a love-hate relationship with my strive for perfection. On one hand, my work is celebrated for its high standard, accuracy and attention to detail. On the other hand, good enough feels like a sub-par, mediocre attempt that I’m ashamed to succumb to.

Perfectionists believe that ‘if I can’t do it perfectly, I’m not doing it at all…’ and this can be a recipe for disaster with the (in)correct circumstances:

Possible Outcome 1: The resilient perfectionist burns themselves into the ground by overworking. This perfectionist struggles to switch off and will find it difficult to achieve perfection over a long period of time.

Possible Outcome 2: The selective perfectionist chooses only to pursue tasks they are confident they will thrive on, and are consequently very risk-averse. This perfectionist struggles to move outside of their comfort zone, and will ultimately remain stagnant.

Historically, I have experienced a bit of both throughout my career, and whilst I will mention some relevant challenges for the remote-age perfectionist, this article will focus more on my fine-tuned perception of perfection.

Challenges of a Remote-Age Perfectionist: Social Media

We live in a world where spending upwards of three hours daily on social media is the norm, and, without going into specific studies, research has shown the damaging effects this habit has on mental health, happiness and self-esteem. Whilst this is harmful to all users, not just perfectionists, I would like to highlight the argument that perfection and social media go hand-in-hand because filters, photoshop and editing apps create the possibility for perfection that simply does not exist in real life. I don’t know exact figures, nor have I conducted scientific research, but I have a suspicion that this self-fulfilling prophecy is creating more perfectionists among us.

My advice: Set time limits on these apps to reduce social media usage. Live in the moment. Stop worrying about capturing the perfect photo of a sunset for your followers, and enjoy it with your eyes instead. Cloud storage costs more than memory storage.

Challenges of a Remote-Age Perfectionist: Mirror Mirror on the...Screen?

In my previous article, I touched on the perils of Zoom calls for a perfectionist:

“Never in the history of time have humans been forced to look at themselves so much. I, personally, have lost count of the number of occasions I have caught myself watching the way I look when I speak.”

..always on brand, spoken like a true perfectionist!

My advice: Use ‘Hide Self View’ to remove the possibility of over analysing your facial features when you talk. It will help you to tune into the conversation, actively listen, and exercise your emotional intelligence.

Challenges of a Perfectionist...on a job hunt:

Have you ever been asked in an interview; “Tell us about your biggest weakness or challenge.”? This is a perfectionist’s worst nightmare...not because they want to appear perfect and aren’t self-aware (they’re very aware of what doesn’t make them perfect). Actually, the hardest thing about this question is that their actual response has been abundantly ridiculed. Perfectionism brings with it a variety of challenges in the workplace, and overcoming these takes persistence and practice. A few challenges that I have grappled with in my career so far are: the anxiety of being late, a lack of confidence in unplanned, non-perfect situations, work-life balance and setting boundaries.

My advice: The best interview answers are authentic and true to yourself. If your biggest challenge is perfectionism, then say that, but prepare to pick it apart and describe what perfectionism looks like for you, and how you have overcome these manifestations.

It’s Not All Bad

Previous CEO of Disney, Robert Iger, delves into perfectionism in his book ‘The Ride of a Lifetime’. His positive approach to perfectionism resonated with me; I applaud his ability to view the glass half full (15 years running The Happiest Place on Earth will do that to you…).

Iger’s approach is one where he takes immense pride in his personal work; he has an instinct towards perfection and importantly, the work ethic to follow through on this instinct.

He describes perfectionism as a mindset...and whilst it is not perfectionism at all costs, it is an environment where he refuses to accept mediocrity resulting from excuses related to lack of time and lack of energy, for example.

Becoming a Reformed Perfectionist...Or Not

One important thing to acknowledge is that people and cultures who are afraid of failure are more reluctant to take risks, which ultimately leads to defeat anyway. This toxic tendency also contributes to the cultivation of an environment where mistakes are criticised, rather than viewed as an opportunity to grow. Perhaps then, we should start to view failure as an inevitable part of innovation: another core element in achieving greatness, according to Iger.

As I begin to reflect on my journey to rehabilitation, I’m pleased to say that I have implemented some strategies that support my pursuit of ‘good enough’. However, I take pride in my strive for greatness and my ambition to do better, be better.

My advice: Whilst perfectionism can hold an individual back in certain circumstances, perception is everything. Make it work for you, not against you. Aim for greatness, work hard but accept that mistakes will be part of the process. If you want to win big, you have to bet big. Sometimes your biggest risks will create your biggest wins. The rest make up your biggest lessons.