|
Perfectionism I have a hypothesis that developers are more prone to perfectionism than the average person. The machine demands perfection, and perhaps we do as well. It’s related to the tendency toward binary thinking I’ve discussed in previous newsletters. Unfortunately, like many habits that serve us in the code, perfectionism can be detrimental to our well-being—it can lead to burnout, or if we fear we won’t complete a task perfectly, we may not start at all. I had to confront my own perfectionism in restarting this newsletter a couple months ago. I even had to forgive myself for the typo in the first one (I wrote “awhile” when I meant “a while,” and of course noticed right after sending. 😅) I do value excellence, but I’ve learned to balance it with my other values, including peace and love. In my talks, I often emphasize living consistently with our core values. However, perfectionism can get us into trouble here, too, when we become attached to our values as identity labels, e.g. considering yourself a “good” or “moral” person. From The Anxious Perfectionist: “When you're firmly attached to labels, inconsistencies become jarring and can elicit feelings of self-doubt, frustration, hopelessness, insecurity, and shame beyond what is necessary—this is suffering…[Y]ou may feel pressure to do all the right things and experience guilt when you inevitably fail to be fully consistent with your label.” Perfectionism can stop us from making our unique contributions to the world. The authors of The Anxious Perfectionist pose the question, “Will you pick perfection or purpose?" We are imperfect humans living in an imperfect world. All we can do is our best given our circumstances (that’s why I love the agile retrospective Prime Directive). This week, give yourself a break. Accept your mistakes and imperfections. Only reread that email twice instead of 10 times before sending. See how it feels.
|
