Does This Content Creation Killer Hinder You, Too?
As much as I enjoy creating content and teaching, I don’t do it often enough and I think I’ve figured out why. I’m facing an obstacle that it seems more people face than we might realize.
It’s something that people talk about occasionally, often in a joking manner, usually with a bit of a negative connotation. As it turns out, it’s a very real obstacle for some people and that includes me.
I’m talking about perfectionism. I’ve been fighting with it all morning (and really most of my life) just trying to decide what to post about today. You see, I just realized it has been over a month since I last posted to my blog.
The immediate reaction was to think, “Bad Jason!” This was followed by the feeling that not only did I need to post something ASAP, it had to be completely amazing and perfect to make up for the hiatus. This leads to overwhelming pressure which is by no means conducive to creativity…and so a vicious cycle begins.
On the one hand, perfectionism can drive someone to be very productive and accomplish quite a bit. On the other hand, it can be paralyzing. Because online content creation is very public and the output lives on forever in binary stone, it seemingly raises the stakes and the pressure. You’re so intent on making things “just right” that you don’t ever get around to actually doing it or finishing it.
You spend more time on a blog post than is really needed. You get lost in the details. You tweak and tweak and tweak something to the point that the life is squeezed out of it. All of this is so you can feel like your blog post or podcast episode is beyond reproach and you can rest easy in the feeling that your ideas will have just the impact you hoped for.
Of course, when I say “you” maybe I’m just talking to myself. But I have a feeling I’m not the only one. And so, I’m wondering if you’ve dealt with this kind of thing. If so, how do you overcome perfectionistic pressure when creating your content?
Here are a few things that I’m trying to see how they help.
- Set a cooking timer to a predetermined amount. When it goes off, it’s done. Good enough is good enough.
- Realize that leaving something out of or even making a mistake in your content is conducive to conversation. It gives people a chance to chime in and share their point-of-view.
- Don’t be afraid to show your “human” side. People connect with that and in the end connecting with your audience is more important than impressing them.
Now, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please share in the comments below.
NOTE: I spent 45 minutes writing this post. I’d say that’s not too bad. I thought it would be ironic to let the post on perfectionism take all morning to write.
June 27th, 2008 19:31
I find I avoid things I need to do and WANT to do because of perfectionism or fear that the outcome will not only not be perfect but will not even be “good enough” but I found a little trick that really helps - I got if from a book called The 15 Second Principle by Al Secunda. In the book the author discusses something called The 15 Second Dream Agreement and how by committing to spend a minimum of 15 seconds a day on a dream project, we immediately get to see how passionate and/or scared we are about it.
Well, I started thinking about my avoidance issues so I decided I would just commit to starting tasks I was avoiding and persist for a full 15 seconds - what happened was that I noticed how the law of inertia came into play. By that I mean when I avoided just starting I fell into the “an object at rest tends to remain at rest” side of things, but when I just started with no expectation of good or bad only committing to persist for a full 15 seconds, then I continued on (an object in motion tends to stay in motion).
hth ~megan
June 27th, 2008 20:45
Jason, I TOTALLY agree!!! I have a new rule… give it 15 minutes of good solid concentration then allow for a break (if you need one). It’s really weird. By knowing that it cannot be perfect in 15 minutes I find my writing has really improved and I’m not nearly as apt to procrastinate if it’s only 15 minutes that I’m going to spend writing. Of course the 15 minutes usually turns into 30 or 45 or even an hour but the point is that I’m writing right? :-)
Megan, 15 SECONDS? Wow… I’ll have to try that. I think you’re on to something tho… the idea is to just get STARTED!! :-)
(posting this without editing it just to prove my point) LOL
June 28th, 2008 07:03
Also, try to realise that if it’s a bit of content that lives online, it can be changed with a few clicks if you find small errors.
June 28th, 2008 09:44
Well I’m glad to hear that it’s not just me. I try and do one post a week, but with researching, cross checking and double checking, it often takes the best part of a day to produce something I’m vaguely happy with, which becomes quite a commitment.
I think your point about having errors in which stimulates discussion is very interesting, I’m just not sure my pride would allow for that just yet. Clearly something I need to work on.
June 28th, 2008 09:47
I try to remember that the most important opinion I have is the opinion I have with myself. And the most important conversation I will ever have is the conversion I have with myself. I didn’t say that Zig Ziglar did and I try to live it.
June 28th, 2008 11:28
There are two ways to go when you come to a crossroads–the start of a project: 1) You can stand there and analyze, and consider, and PERFECT your plan to the point of exhaustion and end up paralyzed and stuck OR 2) You can give it some thought and then decide to go left or right..and then GO. If you go right, and it ends up not being the best choice, move over to the left, but just MOVE…make a decision and go forward.
I struggle with the perfection trap Jason speaks about, especially with this podcasting endeavor. I had a good friend and mentor Tom Royce (www.therealestatebloggers.com) encourage me to “just put it out there” when I was obsessing with the mistakes of my first podcast. He told me to just START and strive to improve with each subsequent post/podcast. Sometimes, it drives me crazy when I listen to my podcast and hear the mistakes I made in interviewing or sound quality/editing, but I just resist the self-chiding and resolve to do better next time…keep moving forward.
June 28th, 2008 12:14
Jason — I share your desire for perfection, but after trying to record the “perfect podcast” or post the “perfect blog post” and finding myself working on the same 250 words for over EIGHT HOURS with no results, I realized I had a problem. I remembered the rules of writing from Robert Heinlein: 1. Write. 2. Finish what you write. 3. Sell it. The point is: content is king, perfect quality is secondary. So now, I schedule deadlines for myself in my Outlook calendar, and stick to them. This has resulted in less than perfect podcasts or posts, but I take comfort in the fact that they are OUT THERE, where they have real value. That has enabled me to keep up a fairly regular posting schedule. No one really cares if there’s a little background noise in your podcast, or if there is less than perfect grammar in your post.
June 28th, 2008 18:02
Jason, I could have written your post. It is exactly me. I also haven’t written to my blog for ages, but you’ve inspired me to do that right now.
The irony of this perfectionism stuff for me is that when I do what you suggested above and set a time - or tell myself to just write and edit it afterwards - I read back over it and actually think it is pretty good. But I really have to fight the inner demons to do that. What usually happens is that I craft each sentence as I write it and don’t move on until I get it right. I take ages to be happy with my starting point and begin over and over.
There’s a real value, isn’t there, in us sharing these issues in our blogs, just like you have done. The fact that other people go through these same difficulties and it’s not just me, is very empowering and I feel quite liberated by the discussion. So thanks for putting yourself on the line.
June 29th, 2008 15:56
Wow! These are great responses. First, I’m comforted to see that I’m not the only one who struggles with this. Also, these are great suggestions.
@Megan and @Nikki,
I really like the idea of momentum that you both talk about. As I think back, this has definitely proven true in the past.
I think another trick there is to try and shut off the “critic” in your mind for that 15 seconds/minutes.
June 30th, 2008 19:40
[...] variety of knitting, spinning and weaving blogs I dally at some tech, sci-fi and writing locations. Jason got me thinking. Does the need for perfection in writing a post mean that you take so much time that [...]
July 8th, 2008 02:44
Hey brother I feel ya! I have been blogn off and on and had a lot of people try to talk me into editing my content so it is proper to their standards… If I did that then I wouldnt have time to create any content! I would have to charge for it. So I say make your writing like skinny dipping! and let all of your imperfections all hang out!
You ARE a RockStar!
Dr Dan
http://www.MakeTheWorldYourStage.com
July 8th, 2008 16:02
I started life as a perfectionist, too. Getting started was the most paralyzing part for me, and evolved into major procrastination issues.
My rule of thumb is now: just do a rough brainstorming/outline/draft first. Get thoughts down on paper, and then they can be made better later. For the purposes of a blog post, more times than not my rough work ends up being almost good enough. For something more formal (such an article for a more formal publication) I can then spend the extra time re-working it, reminding myself that an editor will also be going over it so if I miss something the editor will catch it.
The other thing that has gotten me over it was supervising staff, and believing they should be allowed to find their own way to do things. Most times they do things differently than I would have, and I have forced myself to look past the things that are inconsequential that might not be “perfect” (to me) and apply my sense of perfection to the crucial elements. This meant giving up control, which is part of what perfectionism is about.
Now perfectionism only rears its head every now and then, hopefully in the appropriate places.
Cheers,
Connie
P.S. Don’t ask how many times I edited this comment! :-P
August 17th, 2008 11:19
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