: You’re probably full of the usual impetus to make changes in your life as the new year lies before us. At the time of writing, we’re at the dawn of a new year. Bellies full and rife with lethargy, we’re all likely sat around (in the West at any rate) contemplating our moves for the next 12 months.
Monday, January 17, 2022
How to Break the Perfectionism-Procrastination Loop
www.lifehack.org
: You’re probably full of the usual impetus to make changes in your life as the new year lies before us. At the time of writing, we’re at the dawn of a new year. Bellies full and rife with lethargy, we’re all likely sat around (in the West at any rate) contemplating our moves for the next 12 months.
: You’re probably full of the usual impetus to make changes in your life as the new year lies before us. At the time of writing, we’re at the dawn of a new year. Bellies full and rife with lethargy, we’re all likely sat around (in the West at any rate) contemplating our moves for the next 12 months.
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There’s this really dumb game show on the internet called Game Changer, that I call dumb lovingly, where the contestants have no idea what the game is even about. There’s this quote to start the show that’s like, “the only way to learn is by playing, the only way to win is by beginning and the only way to begin is by beginning” and I don’t know why or how that relates this article but I feel like the hardest part and where most people get stuck in doing anything is where or even how to start. And then after that it’s just like getting lost in the sauce about getting things right or looking smart in front of other people. So like there’s all of these factors that get in the way of beginning a project or doing basic tasks and then there’s the mental part to psych yourself up to start something and it’s hard and draining but at the end of the day you really do just have to start by starting. This was dumb and I rambled a lot I’m sorry.
As someone who is very much stuck in the “perfectionism-procrastination loop”, I agree with the points and advice the article gave. Specifically talking about New Year’s goals, I used to struggle a lot with them. I did not bother setting any up because I knew it would most likely be a futile attempt at changing something I wanted to change. This is why I started writing them down with more intent, and with more precision. For instance, instead of saying “to know more musicals” I would write “listen to twelve new musicals in a year”. That way it feels a lot more achievable than using that first vague statement. I also keep a sort of bucket list instead of a definite twelve-item list that is the more traditional way to go about doing things. Currently, I have about twenty-two items on my list of “things I would like to accomplish sometime”. When I am feeling the itch to do something new or am feeling stuck, I can see what I could do to contribute to my personal goal of completing any twelve of those items. I have been doing this for over five years and so far have been enjoying it.
I think the idea of being more specific with the goals we set out is a really good point. Goal culture makes us set up big over sweeping goals and we are expected to achieve them or we feel this idea of failure. Baby steps is what allows us to grow and achieve things within our lives and being more specific in those steps definitely is what gets us closer. I think its the idea of "I wanna be more active this year" verses "I am going to go to the gym at least once a week for an hour and use the treadmill" I think putting out more specific goals allows us to know what we are doing and what we want to achieve but also helps in the idea of telling yourself you can do it. I think there is no shame is pushing yourself to just after your comfortability. I also liked the idea in the article that highlighted convincing yourself to have already achieved this goal, that way it seems less daunting and not as big of a challenge or differ from the norm in your life.
I think of myself as a master procrastinator and this article on perfectionism-procrastination might have just explained why I never really get on with anything. I think a big part of why I push everything until the last minute is because I know I can still get it done the night before due, despite having to rush through everything and be in a panic. This article talks about the “fear of change”, which is something I’ve not considered before. Now when I look back, I find that I procrastinate a lot more when doing something important and big that is going to have an impact on my life, such as college applications. I remember not writing my application essays until the very last minute, and now this behaviour can be explained perfectly by my “fear of change” and fear of negative results. I think now that I know why this happens, I can tackle the issue much faster.
The title of this article immediately caught my eye as I find the topic of perfectionism and procrastination extremely interesting. While reading this article, it allowed me to identify how I may be using this mechanism in some aspects of my life. Reading through the steps given to avoid using this mechanism, I realized this can apply to a multitude of situations among so many people. One way the “loop” or mechanism mentioned in the article relates to the theatre industry is through auditions. Actors must put themselves out there for the likely chance they will be rejected, however, they keep repeating the cycle. When they go out and audition again, they are breaking this “loop” because they are not afraid that their outcome will not be perfect, so they continue to audition time and time again without procrastinating. Another connection this concept makes to the theatre industry is through the stage management position. One of the many jobs of a stage manager is to be able to work with any personality, so learning about this mentality will make me a more aware and informed stage manager.
First off, what a relevant article to be reading on a Sunday morning. I find it interesting that they started off with the statistics about New Year's resolutions. According to this article, 91 percent of people fail their resolutions which is honestly not surprising to me considering the gym statistic that 80 percent of new members quit in the first 5 months. The only reason I know that is because my dad always made it a point to tell me that and explain how he believes New Year’s resolutions are dumb. His whole thought process is why not just start implementing those changes now instead of procrastinating until January first and overwhelming yourself. He has a point, but I also believe people might just need a push to help them start. I find myself procrastinating a lot due to perfectionism and I too also just need a little extra support to get over it.
I have always been really great with time management and accomplishing tasks. I think as a designer however, you sometimes need to be realistic and relinquish perfectionism. Sometimes, things aren’t going to be exactly what you envision. I think that’s why I have been doing pretty good with accomplishing tasks, especially when they’re theatre related. However over Zoom these last two weeks, I have been realizing that I have been particularly and hard on myself about not feeling productive enough. A friend told me to take a breathe and acknowledge that I don’t have to constantly be completing tasks perfectly. This article on the link between perfectionism and it being a vessel for procrastination really resonate with me because I realized that that is why I have been in this mindset these past two weeks. I am really looking forward to coming back to classes in person and feeling less confined to my room and screen!
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