Bonjour. In this video, I want to share a simple mindset which has helped me to be more productive.
In all the years working with many leaders, I have met quite a few ‘perfectionists. I have come to the conclusion that there is a real fine line between being a perfectionist and being a procrastinator.
By the way I can talk from experience about this because I’m a bit of a perfectionist myself.
A perfectionist will say: “I need to do this but I don’t have enough time to do it well now, so I will do it later.’ Suddenly you have drifted from being a perfectionist to being a procrastinator.
I suggest you change your mindset: don’t think perfection, think by draft.
Rather than saying: ‘I need to find three hours to do this perfectly’ and procrastinating on this task because you don’t have three hours in front of you now or in the next few days. Instead, say to yourself ‘I have half an hour now, so I am going to do a first draft.’
Start straight away and do a first draft. Even if your first draft is poor and far from what you want to do, at least you have got started and have produced draft 1. Then in your next time slot for this task, work on draft 2 and so on until you get to a draft which is good enough for you.
Good enough, not perfect.
You will never be able to do a perfect job. But doing an 80% ok job is often enough. Sometimes even a 50% job is good enough.
When I applied this technique a few years ago, it was a game changer. It helped me in many ways. The best example was when I wrote my book Work Smarter: Live Better. I would have never written a best seller if I hadn’t had applied this way of thinking. Writing a book is a very daunting task. However, I wrote it draft by draft. I started working on the first draft of the first chapter and little by little had a good first chapter. Then the second one, and so one.
It took me 16 drafts before I was happy with it (I told you I am a little bit of a perfectionist ☺…). But I would have never written this book if I hadn’t had changed my mindset.
So don’t be a perfectionist. Think by draft and get started.
This is this week’s Work Smarter: Live Better tip. Have a wonderful day.
A bientôt
Cyril
