Perfectionism is on the rise
Perfectionism has been rising for decades. In a 2019 analysis of 164 studies with more than 40,000 college students in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., Thomas Curran and Andrew Hill found that perfectionism increased from 1989 to 2016, with the biggest jump in feeling like other people expect you to be perfect, which rose about 33%. Perfectionism often looks like high standards but works more like a brake.
Perfectionism doesn't usually look like perfectionism.
It looks like "I just need to tweak the website a little more before I launch."
It looks like rewriting the same email four times.
It looks like not posting at all because you don't have a professional photo yet.
It looks like being really, really busy and never quite finishing the thing that matters.
And according to the research, more of us are struggling with it than ever.
What the research found
In 2019, Thomas Curran and Andrew Hill analyzed 164 studies covering more than 40,000 college students from 1989 to 2016.
They looked at three kinds of perfectionism:
Self-oriented: you expect yourself to be perfect.
Other-oriented: you expect other people to be perfect.
Socially prescribed: you feel like other people expect you to be perfect.
All three went up. But socially prescribed perfectionism jumped the most, about 33%.
That's the one that hurts. It's the feeling that everyone is watching and judging, and that anything less than flawless will let them down. Research has linked it to anxiety, depression, and burnout.
The study was done with college students, not business owners. But I'd bet a lot of you were those college students. And I see the same pattern in my coaching calls every week.
What perfectionism costs your business
Perfectionism isn't the same as high standards. High standards push you to do great work. Perfectionism keeps you from shipping the work at all.
It costs you time, because you overwork things nobody will notice. It costs you money, because the offer that's "almost ready" isn't making any. And it costs you confidence, because every unfinished project feels like proof you're behind.
It's also a big reason the end of a project feels so hard, which I wrote about in Why the last 10% is the hardest.
How to loosen its grip
Define "done" before you start. Write down what finished looks like. When you hit it, you're done, even if it's not perfect.
Ship at 80%. For most things, 80% is plenty. Save 100% for the few things where it really matters, like contracts and anything legal or financial.
Ask who's actually judging. Most of the time, the harshest critic is you. Other people are paying much less attention than you think.
Set a time limit. "I'll spend one hour on this email, then send it." When the time's up, it goes.
Practice good enough on purpose. Pick small things and let them be imperfect. The world won't end. That's how you prove it to yourself. There's more on this in Good enough is a strategy.
What it looks like
A client of mine had been working on a freebie for her email list for five months. Five months on a two-page PDF. I asked her to send me what she had. It was great. Honestly better than most I've seen.
She launched it that Friday. She's since changed two sentences.
If you want someone in your corner who'll tell you when it's good enough to ship, let's talk.
Frequently asked questions
Is perfectionism increasing?
Yes. Curran and Hill's 2019 analysis of more than 40,000 college students found all three types of perfectionism rose from 1989 to 2016, with socially prescribed perfectionism rising about 33%.
What is socially prescribed perfectionism?
It's the feeling that other people expect you to be perfect and will judge you harshly if you aren't. It's been linked to anxiety, depression, and burnout.
How do I stop perfectionism from slowing down my business?
Define what done looks like before you start, aim for 80% on most tasks, set time limits, and practice letting small things be imperfect.
Sources: Curran, T., & Hill, A. P. (2019). Perfectionism is increasing over time: A meta-analysis of birth cohort differences from 1989 to 2016. Psychological Bulletin, 145(4), 410–429.
