Friday 21 January 2011

Are you a Perfectionist or a Completionist?

"No need to be a perfectionist but its good to be a 'completionist.' If you start it, finish it or forget it."
B Kumaris

Perfectionist is definitely not a term I relate to. I tend to be a completionist most of the time - but not always.

At the end of the year I reflected on the goals I set out to achieve, the ones I completed, and those that were left undone. I feel great about my accomplishments and I want to determine what got in the way of completing the goals that were not achieved.

A common reason a goal remains on our to do list and never ends up on the done list is because we are not 100% committed to do what it takes to get them done. Completion may mean moving into our discomfort zone because we are stepping into unknown territory. We busy ourselves with other seemingly urgent or maybe unimportant activities and then use the excuse "I don't have time."

Other enemies of completion are perfectionism and procrastination. Perfectionism and the subsequent procrastination are rooted in fear. It is not fear of the task itself or perfect results that causes the procrastination. What is there to fear about speaking in front of a group, teaching a teleclass, or making a sales call ? Yet we procrastinate about doing certain tasks because of a fear that we often do not recognize. Instead of prioritizing the task and working to complete it, we hide behind an excuse such as "I don't have the time, the money or maybe the know-how." When in reality what we really fear is a concern that we may fail, or be rejected, laughed at, judged, or criticized. So we procrastinate. We are often not even aware that these and other related fears are the real reason our progress gets derailed.

Coaching tips:
Read Take a new look at achieving your goals
• Identify the benefit of completing your goals - what will be different
• Focus on the benefits/results not on the process
• Find a mentor, coach, or accountability buddy to support you
• Join a Mastermind group
• Revise or eliminate goals that never get achieved

Excuses be gone! No more "yeah but" Take action today!

By Jean Caton

1 comment:

Procrastinating Pete said...

Yes indeed. What's more important is completing tasks. But that doesn't stop there, you have to achieve your dreams and meet your goals in order to succeed. Being perfectionist is just an excuse of not doing things that will eventually lead to procrastination.