Perfectionism coaching

Amidst the hustle and bustle of our lives, it’s easy to get caught up in the struggle to achieve perfection. Perfectionism is often perceived as a 'nice-to-have' flaw, as it may describe a 'Type A' individual with big ambitions and an overwhelming desire to do everything at peak performance.

How can coaching help you beat perfectionism?

However, perfectionism is a highly destructive and maladaptive trait. It’s like having a critical person following you around all day, having something negative to say about everything you do. Except you can’t get a restraining order on this person because it lives in your head. Perfectionism is a tricky beast to tame, but it’s possible with the right mindset and perhaps a little bit of help from a qualified life coach. 

Let’s see how coaching can help you overcome perfectionism for good:

Coaching can help you focus on the bigger picture

When we’re thinking of our goals, we tend to focus on the result—the perfect picture of how we want things to turn out. Then we do what we can to make that picture happen. 

But if perfectionism is part of the equation, our view of that goal is so far from where we currently are that we don’t have much motivation to move forward because there’s still so much work left to be done. That’s when procrastination sets in, and we find ourselves stuck in quicksand, unable to move forward and unsure how to get out again. 

Coaching can help you unlearn this pattern and break the cycle by shifting your mindset from sweating over every tiny detail to seeing the impact on the bigger picture. Do you truly need to spend three extra hours polishing every slideshow of your presentation, or would it be better to focus on the message you aim to convey?

Coaching can help you set realistic standards

The problem with perfectionism is that it sets a standard that can’t be reached. You might think that the way to get your goals is to try and improve constantly, but in reality, when you are striving for perfection, you are never actually done. There will always be another tweak, another change, another iteration before something is considered finished. The more time and energy we spend on the small details of our work, the less time we have for significant things.

If this sounds like you, coaching can help. Coaches help you set realistic standards and give you the tools to get there.

Coaching can help you lower the pressure you put on yourself

You can struggle with perfectionism in many areas of life. In the office, it may mean that you work long hours on every project and still can’t seem to finish everything on your to-do list. Your kitchen may look spotless at home, but you still picture the counters covered in dirty dishes and the floor strewn with toys. Perfectionists tend to feel guilty about the small things they’ve left undone, even if they spend time relaxing with their family or watching TV at night.

Looking for ways to escape from this never-ending cycle of guilt and discontent? Luckily, there are many things you can do—some fast, some slow—to battle perfectionism and get a handle on your future self. A qualified and devoted life coach can help you practice self-acceptance instead of constantly beating yourself up over small things. 

The bottom line

In the end, we hope that you have gained some insight into how coaching can help you with your perfectionism. If you feel like you have room to grow in this area, don’t be afraid to take the first step towards a healthier approach to life. Reach out to a qualified life coach and get your questions answered.

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