Blog

The Perfectionist Trap – Why Your Eye for Detail May be Hurting the Projects?

Do you tend to fuss over even the tiniest of the project details? If so, your perfectionist work attitude could be setting you up for failure. While it’s fine to set high standards, the pursuit of perfection is a futile endeavor that can lead to different complexities while handling a project.

In psychology, perfectionism is a trait that is characterized by setting high standards and resorting to harsh self-criticism. Here we will look at the downsides of perfectionism, and why it’s critical that you avoid the perfectionist trap when managing projects.

1. Negative Impact on Productivity

An ironic downside to perfectionism is a negative impact on productivity. Perfectionists generally focus too much time on one or more tasks. As a result, they are able to complete a few tasks each day. This negatively impacts the productivity that ultimately set them up for failure.

2. Myopic Attitude to Project Management

Being focused on a few tasks, perfectionist project managers are unable to make the most of the opportunities. Due to being concerned too much about the shortsighted goals, they end up missing the bigger picture. For instance, they may obsess about meeting the short-term targets instead of looking for opportunities to cut costs or develop employee capacities.

3. Procrastination

Another downside of perfectionism is that it can lead to procrastination. People with perfectionism trait may turn into avoiders due to their fear of making a mistake. In other words, an obsession with perfection can sabotage the likelihood of successful project outcome.

4. Mental Pressure

Perfectionism also put mental strain because creating the perfect product demands a lot of time and effort. This ultimately burns out the individual over time. Also, unexpected events can prevent a person from performing with perfection and precision. This can also lead to increased stress leading to mental breakdown.

5. Creating More Problems

Perfection can lead to additional problems instead of solving them. Being focused on a perfect work outcome, a project manager will fail to look at all the critical factors that can affect the project outcome. The fact is that there are many things that can contribute to and prevent successful delivery. Focusing on just one or more factors will not result in a successful outcome of the project.

In the end, you should realize that perfectionism is a bane for successful project outcome. You need to divide the time into all the tasks equally according to the priorities. Trying to complete each task to perfection will prevent you from completing them within the stated time and budget.

Consider using online work management software to save time and effort in managing the projects. Also, you should learn to delegate tasks to reduce the workload. In this way, you can focus on important areas of the project, and marshal your team to success.