"I'm not a perfectionist, my work sucks."
It's classic perfectionism to think your work's not perfect enough to be a perfectionist.
And that's where I was five years ago.
Constantly striving for perfection, yet never getting anywhere close because I was trying so hard that I would burn myself out or self-sabotage in the process.
Maybe you can relate?
But I'm far enough in my journey of Hustle Culture divestment to see now how much of a perfectionist and workaholic I really was.
And along this journey, I've learned a few facts of life I want to share with any other struggling perfectionists:
Be okay with B- work
I know you look at every project or responsibility you take on as another opportunity to get an A+. But this isn't school, and you're not trying to get into college or avoid getting grounded.
So it's okay to slack a little.
It's okay, necessary even, to do B- work sometimes.
There's usually a third option
In your stress and overwhelm, you brain probably focuses on two extremes, like "either I succeed at this or I totally fail at everything."
But those aren't the only choices, you have other options.
When you realize you're catastrophizing like that, look for the hidden options you didn't see right away.
You can't force things
Finally, you can't force progress, productivity, motivation, or anything else.
When you're stuck, sleep on it or take a break and come back with fresh energy later.