I am a self-identified, card carrying perfectionist. Details are my job and therefore I double check and even triple check everything before I hit submit. And, to add insult to injury, I am also a bit of a control freak. My action plans are even color coded, because – well, rainbows make getting ish done more fun.
BUT, when you run a business, you have to overcome perfectionism in order to make progress on your goals. If I circle back to the same task 3 times to make sure I really did it perfectly, I am wasting valuable time and resources.
Action Over Perfection
I recently heard another business owner say those words, “action over perfection”, and boy, did it resonate. “Yes”, I thought. That is exactly my problem. I keep waiting until I achieve perfection – but WHO IS GRADING ME? I am not sitting in the front row of English class anymore. There is no professor with a red pen waiting to give me 2 rounds of edits. My need for perfection is inhibiting me from actually checking tasks off of my list.
I needed a mind-set shift.
Obviously, I am task oriented, Type C personality (if that is even a thing anymore), and love a good goal with corresponding action plans to accompany it. So, as one does, I drew on my business and nonprofit experience to help put together a strategic plan for not just my business, but my life. In reality, my personal and professional goals intersect, so it made sense for me to consider both.
We’ve all heard of SMART goals, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound. And SMART goals are, well, smart. But the acronym never really resonated with me. Honestly, lean in for a secret… I always forget what the acronym stands for (even with 20 years of developing them)! I thought about how I approach goal setting, how to overcome perfectionism, and start taking action. My goals still need to be SMART, but I also need to be accountable to them, in a way that works for me. Here’s what I came up with.
Step 1: G – Goal
What is your desired result? For me, it is financial independence and more time to do what I love with the people I love. My goal is to achieve this within the year. I will transition from my 9-5 role and take control over my happiness and time. And, when I independently earn enough to make up for my corporate salary, I will be able to call this goal complete.
Step 2: O – Objectives
Where do you direct your effort? Think of your objectives like mini goals to help you make progress on your overarching goal. For me, it is to help businesses owners turn their passion into profits. To also help leaders reclaim time in their day so they can also do what they love with the people they love. And finally, to give business leaders the resources, tools, and training they need to sustain business growth. I help business leaders achieve this within 3-6 months of working with me – when they commit to the process. I know I achieved my objectives when I get the feedback that life changed for them after working with me.
Step 3: A – Actions
What steps do you need to take to make progress on your objectives and goal? And we can break actions down into smaller, daily tasks. For me, this could look like writing a blog post, meeting with a client, or working on a proposal.
Step 4: L – Lessons Learned
DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP! Every mistake you make is a lesson learned. Document your mistakes with the same enthusiasm as your to do list (or whatever else gets your engine revving). Knowing where your past missteps occurred will help prevent you from doing it again. For instance, I recently wiped out the entire homepage on my website! It is definitely a mistake I don’t want to make again.
Step 5: S – Success Stories
JUST AS IMPORTANT AS LESSONS LEARNED. You will need the energy from your successes to keep you moving forward when you are feeling overwhelmed. You better believe when I re-wrote my entire homepage, and remembered to back it up, I celebrated.
I also created a daily bullet journal page that corresponds with my new mind-set. In the last month, I made more progress on my goal and objectives, checked off more actions, and kept track of how I spend my time. I learned that when I really don’t like a specific action; I procrastinate. Now I file those actions under “Priority”. I know what actions take more time and can better plan for those actions in the future. AND I can see progress. What I accomplished in 30 days would impress even my English professor with the red pen.
If you want to take action and let go of perfection, grab your FREE GOALS Daily Planner Page, perfect for A5 planners.
AND, let me know what you think. I would love to hear your thoughts on goal setting, being a perfectionist, or what you think of the GOALS Daily Planner Page.
