Episode 033 | Balancing Professionalism and Perfectionism
The Rookie Writer Show - A podcast by H. Dair Brown, The Rookie Writer Show Host
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With all of our focus on productivity, we’re working hard to find a way to get quality work out the door.
Quality (NOT perfect) work OUT THERE (NOT sitting in your cloud or in a drawer awaiting more attention).
We have all these things we want to accomplish, that we’ve committed time, energy, and other resources towards. And just when we’re humming along, getting our work done, enter that demon from Writing Hell: Perfectionism. Think of it like an evil Zeus, who is the originator of most of the other writing troubles. It spawns Procrastination, Writer’s Block, Revisionitis, Over-Preparation and more.
Perfectionism is born of Fear but beautifully disguises itself as the more virtuous “Professionalism.” In contrast, Professionalism, while still conscientious and earnest, evolves from self-assuredness and clear-mindedness. It will ask you to do your best without luring you into adopting self-destructive work habits.
Note Where Perfectionism Is Holding You Back
* Is it causing you to procrastinate?* Is it causing you to overprepare?* Is it slowing your work down too much?* Is it keeping me from finishing things?* Is it sucking the joy out of your writing experience?* Is it causing you to overedit?* Is it keeping you from submitting things?* Is it affecting your self-esteem and/or your perception of yourself?* Is it causing you to adopt unhealthy habits to balance out your stress?
Solutions
HABITS:
* Be Selective – Spend a little time thinking about and deciding what’s REALLY worth your “A Game” and what can sort of slide a little bit. On this front, I cannot recommend Heartbreathings HB90 Boot Camp enough. It. Has. Changed. My. Life. Not just my writing life. My life. * Let Your Work Rest – Put some distance between your writing and your editing process* Please (and) Express Yourself – Make a point to resist seeking approval from others. If you’re a people-pleaser, this one can be especially hard, I know. Do your best.* When in Doubt, Get Busy – Because as C.S. Lakin reminds us, “Action helps cure fear.”
CARROT APPROACHES:
* Set a Timer and/or a Deadline – Limit how long you can work on something. This is the brilliance of NaNoWriMo. If you did that challenge, don’t leave the skills you picked up during that month trapped in November. Carry them forward throughout the year.* Make Failing a Rewarding Experience and/or a Game – Like the 100 Rejections challenges out there, reward yourself for putting things out there, even if they “fail.” * Set a High Submission Goal – It will serve to reduce the amount of time you have to spend on any one project. Again, think NaNoWriMo. * Celebrate Small Success – These can be process successes (e.g. Daily Writing Wordcount Streak) or product successes (You made it to the second round of a contest?! Got favorable feedback from your critique group? Celebrate!) Jennifer Louden does a great class on CreativeLive.com where she really digs into this. Here’s a $15 coupon if you decide to check it out