Is Our Desire for Perfection at Work Hurting Our Productivity?
Posted on June 9th, 2016 Read time: 2 minutes
Most of the time, perfection is the greatest obstacle to productivity. Here are some reasons why and ways to overcome them.
-
Procrastination
As an entrepreneur, you can’t waste time on perfectionism. If you don’t launch a new product or service until it’s perfect, you’re irrelevant in the marketplace. Teams no longer have time to design and redesign, test and retest products and services until they’re perfect. If you wait to launch, your offering is already outdated or obsolete when it finally hits the market. You risk having a competitor introduce an even better version before you get out your first trial. Instead, move toward a more agile design strategy, where you bring minimum viable products to market quickly. Once you launch, development teams can gather valuable feedback from users and adapt the product or service so it’s better. Responding to market feedback will help you perfect your offerings and improve their quality. Over time you’ll develop better intuition and more confidence about what works and what doesn’t.
-
Negative Feedback
Procrastination often results from wanting to avoid negative feedback. Most entrepreneurs would rather hold onto their creations until they’re perfect than allow others to make that decision. You need to strive for excellence while focusing your efforts on what’s best for your company, not to avoid less-than-stellar customer reviews. Embrace what your customers are saying about your products or services so you know how to improve them. By filling more needs, you’ll widen your customer base, increase your revenue, and stay competitive.
-
Burnout
Constantly striving for perfection leads to burnout. Look hard enough at your offerings and you’ll always find flaws. With the narrow definition of success that comes with perfection, you’ll never feel your work is complete. To avoid constant exhaustion, define a specific end goal and outline your steps to get there. Set milestones throughout the project’s completion so you continue moving forward and know you’re reaching your goals. Look at what needs to be done and budget your time effectively. Ultimately, let your work being good enough for the marketplace be your measurement of success.
Stop letting perfection interfere with your productivity. For additional help focusing on your core business,reach out to the experts at Innovative Employee Solutions today!
Related Articles
Posted on June 9th, 2016 Read time: 2 minutes
Most of the time, perfection is the greatest obstacle to productivity. Here are some reasons why and ways to overcome them.
-
Procrastination
As an entrepreneur, you can’t waste time on perfectionism. If you don’t launch a new product or service until it’s perfect, you’re irrelevant in the marketplace. Teams no longer have time to design and redesign, test and retest products and services until they’re perfect. If you wait to launch, your offering is already outdated or obsolete when it finally hits the market. You risk having a competitor introduce an even better version before you get out your first trial. Instead, move toward a more agile design strategy, where you bring minimum viable products to market quickly. Once you launch, development teams can gather valuable feedback from users and adapt the product or service so it’s better. Responding to market feedback will help you perfect your offerings and improve their quality. Over time you’ll develop better intuition and more confidence about what works and what doesn’t.
-
Negative Feedback
Procrastination often results from wanting to avoid negative feedback. Most entrepreneurs would rather hold onto their creations until they’re perfect than allow others to make that decision. You need to strive for excellence while focusing your efforts on what’s best for your company, not to avoid less-than-stellar customer reviews. Embrace what your customers are saying about your products or services so you know how to improve them. By filling more needs, you’ll widen your customer base, increase your revenue, and stay competitive.
-
Burnout
Constantly striving for perfection leads to burnout. Look hard enough at your offerings and you’ll always find flaws. With the narrow definition of success that comes with perfection, you’ll never feel your work is complete. To avoid constant exhaustion, define a specific end goal and outline your steps to get there. Set milestones throughout the project’s completion so you continue moving forward and know you’re reaching your goals. Look at what needs to be done and budget your time effectively. Ultimately, let your work being good enough for the marketplace be your measurement of success.
Stop letting perfection interfere with your productivity. For additional help focusing on your core business,reach out to the experts at Innovative Employee Solutions today!
