How to Beat Perfectionism

written by JOSH GESSNER | The Curious Competitor

How to Beat Perfectionism in 3 Easy Steps:

You might think perfectionism is a positive character trait…

But multiple studies have found surprising results:

It leads to drastically worse performance.

Confession: I've experienced perfectionism my whole life...

Especially as a baseball player.

We're told that baseball is a game of failure. To embrace it.

Yet I'm unsatisfied with anything but perfection.

Fortunately, I'm learning to fight my urge of being perfect.

Here's my framework for beating perfectionism:

1. Understand the root cause

2. Quantity > Quality

3. 90% Rule

Let's walk through each one...

1) Understand the root cause

In the harsh realities of prehistoric life, our ancestors faced constant challenges:

From searching for food to evading predators.

Any mistake could lead to starvation or death.

Our ancestors who paid attention to detail were more likely to survive.

They benefited from perfectionism...

Which is why perfectionism is still prevalent in our genes today.

It helped them survive in the prehistoric world.

Modern Life

While the dangers of the past have faded, our brains haven't fully caught up.

Perfectionism - once crucial for survival, hinders our ability to thrive in the modern world.

Social Media

Social media made this problem worse.

People on social media post their best moments...

Not their failures or imperfections.

Truth is, they’re just as mess-up as we are.

2 mental models to beat Perfectionism:

1.Quantity > Quality

2.90% Rule

Mental Model 1) Quantity > Quality

A pottery class was divided into 2 groups:

The first group was told to make as many pots as possible.

The second group was told to make 1, perfect pot.

Come grading time, a curious fact emerged:

The best pots came from the quantity pot.

Why?

• The “quantity” group was churning out piles of work, learning from their mistakes…

• While the “quality” group theorized about perfection, and had little to show for their efforts.

Mental Model 2) The 90% Rule

A framework I came across by Sahil Bloom.

"When you have 90% of a large project completed finishing the final details will take another 90%."

The point: The final details of a project takes much longer than anticipated.

Instead of spending more time to finish the last 10% of a project:

Move on to the next most important thing.

“Good enough” is often the optimal solution.

Netflix founder on the 90% rule:

How to beat perfectionism:

1. Understand the root cause

2. Quantity > Quality

3. 90% Rule