Tinkering kills productivity

Tinkering. It's one of the top productivity killers in the workplace today.

You know how it goes ... you've got a presentation, report, something to get 'done'. And you start it. But then when do you stop? When is it 'done'? Hour after hour. Possibly day after day. For some important reports and presentations it even becomes week after week. (month after month anyone?)

Tinker tinker tinker. We fiddle, adjust, move the shape a little to the left, a little to the right, change the font, change the size, change a word here and there. Change things back again. Re-read, change, edit, fix and fiddle.

This is tinkering with information and communication. And it's a massive time waster.

In our efforts to make something 'better' we often spend - or waste - an inordinate amount of time on the things that are less important. Our perception of what constitutes 'value' is skewed; skewed and distorted by our desire to make things look good, impressive, clever, perfect. After all, it reflects on us - doesn't it?

Do you tinker? How do you know when something is 'good enough' to go?

Hey, didn’t you write and release that book last year, Lynne?

Hey, didn’t you write and release that book last year, Lynne? I’ve mentioned recently that my book ‘ish: The Problem with our Pursuit for Perfection and the Life-Changing Practice of Good Enough’ is out!

People have asked, 'But didn’t you release it last year? What’s with it being out now? Again?'

The book is about perfectionism and the increasing problem it presents in the world today. One of the ways we can tackle perfectionism I think, is to work in:

- increments (smaller packets or chunks of work, rather than trying to work on the w-h-o-l-e of a project) and,

- iterations (improving on things over time, as we release new or updated versions). This works well for reports, presentations, websites, blogs … yes, and books.

I released a couple of iterations of the book last year and got feedback and insights from people who’d read it. They let me know what they thought. Now I’m up to the 5th iteration.

Each version improving on the previous one. And it’s time to stop; it’s done. We can always, always work some more on our projects and make them better. But work in increments and iterations and you’ll get feedback to make things good enough to go 'live'.

Look again. What's good enough to go live?

Your pursuit of perfectionism could be stopping you from getting things done.

Your pursuit of perfectionism could be stopping you from getting things done.

With all the focus on productivity apps, to-do lists, email inbox to zero strategies and advice to wake up at 4am, I don't know about you, but I'm tired and the day has barely started! If we think we've got plenty to do but perhaps not getting it done as soon as we might have hoped, there might be something getting in your way that you haven't considered. Perfection.

Yup. Perfectionism is on the rise according to the researchers and it stops us putting great ideas out there, pressing 'go' on projects and business concepts and can make us difficult to work with.

Read more in my article published in B&T magazine. And could you... would it be possible... might you have got in your own way?

Ever had a perfectionist boss?

Perfectionism is no longer a badge of honour. And perfectionist bosses or leaders could be causing problems for their team, contibuting to a 'toxic' workplace or culture.

If you've had a perfectionist boss (most of us can recall a situation or role where nothing was ever 'good enough' for the leader or boss) you'll also remember that things like celebrating the wins, taking risks and trying new things weren't on the agenda.

Going for what's safe and familiar is preferred for the perfectionist, because even when the team does try something new nothing is ever good enough. People tell me about how they don't see themselves working ‘with’ their perfectionist boss but rather as a servant, minion or lackey working ‘for’ them, responding to their requests, changes, standards and expectations.

I’m all for continuous improvement. That’s a different thing. My memory of a perfectionist boss was how they didn't feel too good about their skills or capabilities. It flowed on to the whole team. We felt beaten before we’d started a project. Talk about low morale!

Many workplaces feel 'toxic' and perfectionism sure is an unhelpful game to be going for.

Go for 'good enough' instead.

Have you had a perfectionist boss?

‘ish: The Problem with our Pursuit for Perfection and the Life-Changing Practice of Good Enough’

It’s natural to want to do well at work, study, in life, to do our best. But what happens when striving for the best becomes something more; the pursuit of perfection?

Perfectionism is on the rise and has dire consequences for how we think and feel about ourselves and others, how we think, live, and work. It's been seen to cause over-working, burnout, sleeplessness and mental health problems like depression and anxiety.

We can’t keep going like this! But what’s the alternative if it’s not perfect?

I've been researching, thinking and writing about how we can work in clever ways that tackle our problem with perfect. In my new book ‘ish: The Problem with our Pursuit for Perfection and the Life-Changing Practice of Good Enough’ I explain:

>The problem with pursuing perfect and why we seek it

>The mental loop that traps you into thinking perfection is the answer

>The role of increments, imperfection and iterations in getting things done

>The idea of ‘ish’, which means somewhat or near enough.

Excellence, quality and continuous improvement are important but the pursuit of perfection, not so much. How does perfectionism stop you from getting things done?

Love to hear.