Perfectionism In Blogging: Learning To Overcome Your Mental Barriers

Perfectionism is common in ambitious people and can be really difficult to overcome. I am certainly my own worst enemy when it comes to self-criticism. I imagine other bloggers/influencers reading this will find this so relatable. Have you ever put your goals on hold for no good reason? By no good reason, I mean, ‘I’ll start a blog once I have a better camera’, ‘I’ll start a YouTube channel once I have some lighting equipment’, ‘I’ll do [X thing] when I have more followers’. Does this sound familiar?

Ambition is a valuable trait to have. Ambition is what will set you apart from those who are passive about their goals. Everyone has a dream or a goal that they aspire to, yet not many people are willing to put in the consistent effort to achieve them. Though, sometimes it’s not laziness that is the problem, but instead, perfectionism.

How Is Perfectionism Damaging To Productivity?

When you get into your head about something, rationality goes out of the window. Suddenly, your only focus is ‘this is not good enough’, or ‘[X person] did it better’. You will begin to tear apart whatever it is that you’re in the process of creating, and can become so engrossed in the tiniest details that you lose sight of the bigger picture.

I totally understand the feeling that you want to make a good impression. You want to come across as professional, organised, and confident. You want to make sure that once you finally put your work out to the world, people will be impressed and remember how good your work is. These are all valid feelings, and actually good to have. It’s when they become your main focus that you become your own hindrance.

It’s become a cliché to say at this point, but nothing is perfect. You can have your own opinions of what is perfect, but others may not agree with you. What people perceive to be perfect is purely subjective. So, even if you obsess over your work for 2 months until it becomes your idea of perfect, other people may not see it the same way. As well, if you publish something you’re not entirely happy with, other people still might think that it’s perfect.

Why Perfection Is Not Important

Be honest with yourself for a moment; how often do you look at something and think ‘this is perfect‘? It’s more likely that you will look at somebody’s work and relate to it, or enjoy how it looks, and think ‘I like this‘. When viewing something that somebody else created, you don’t consider how perfect or imperfect it is. So, why would you believe someone else would do the same with your work?

Of course, quality is important when creating something. It’s no good just to throw something together carelessly and put it out… Though I find it hard to believe that anyone reading this would even dream of doing such a thing! No, it is necessary to spend a decent amount of time on whatever you’re crafting. It’s drawing the line between doing your best and obsessing over the perfection that is the hard part.

If you leave things in your drafts, unpublished forever, what was the point in starting it? Who is going to see it, except you? How are you going to progress and grow by keeping things to yourself? Nobody ever gets anywhere by waiting.

Even if you don’t think you’re as good at something as another person is, sharing your learning experience is typically very well received by people! If people can see your progress from novice to expert, they might feel inspired by it, and think ‘if you can do it, I can do it too!‘.

How Can We Overcome Perfectionism?

Once you’re coming to the completion stage of your work, try asking yourself: Did I put my best effort into this piece of work? If the answer is yes, then it’s most likely that the work you produced is more than good enough to publish. If the answer is no, ask yourself if you are being too self-critical, and get a second opinion from somebody you trust.

Getting a second opinion on something is one of my personal favourite ways of assessing whether or not I’m being too hard on myself. My go-to person to ask is my boyfriend. I know he will review my work from an unbiased perspective and give me pointers on where improvements could be made if necessary. However, if there is nothing to improve, I know he will be honest with me and tell me to stop obsessing over silly things that nobody else would notice or even care about if they did!

Are You A Perfectionist? How Do You Cope With It?

Personally, I’m still working on learning to let go of the idea of perfection. It’s a process. It’s not a race. I’m trying to remember that I won’t get anywhere if I leave my Instagram/blog posts sitting in my drafts. I don’t have to reset my entire Instagram feed to begin a new theme. The standard of skill I’m holding myself to is unattainable at this stage, and the only way I’m going to learn things is through trial and error. Learning as I go.

Do you find yourself gripped by perfectionism? How do you move past it? Feel free to share your experience in the comments below, or message me on any of my social channels linked at the top of the page.

Jumpsuit from Miss Selfridge | Jumper from H&M (old) | Watch from Daniel Wellington | Boots from Koi Footwear (old) | Earmuffs from Primark (old) | Scrunchie from Depop

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Love, Flossie ♡