3415: Why (And How) You Must Conquer Perfectionism by Julie Morgenstern on Prioritizing Advice

[00:00:00] Brauchen wir wirklich noch einen Computer? Alle wahrscheinlich nicht. Aber wenn du Musik mit der Power eines Neuralprozessors neu erfindest oder unterwegs Migrationsmuster mit einem ganztägigen Akku analysierst oder deine Ideen mit dem KI-gesteuerten Co-Creator zum Leben erwächst, dann kann ein Co-Pilot Plus PC einen Unterschied machen. Nicht alle brauchen einen leistungsstärkeren KI-Computer. Aber wenn du versuchst, die Welt zu verändern, auch wenn es nur deine eigene ist, haben wir einen für dich entwickelt. Microsoft Co-Pilot Plus PC mit Snapdragon. Die bisher schnellsten und intelligentesten Windows-PCs. Die Akkulaufzeit variiert hier nach Nutzung und Einstellungen.

[00:00:30] This is Optimal Living Daily. Why And How You Must Conquer Perfectionism by Julie Morgenstern of JulieMorganstern.com. And I'm Justin Malik. I'm going to jump right into today's post as we optimize your life.

[00:00:48] Why And How You Must Conquer Perfectionism by Julie Morgenstern of JulieMorganstern.com.

[00:00:56] What is Perfectionism? Perfectionism is the pressure we often put on ourselves to do things extremely well. True perfectionists tend to judge their performance in the starkest of terms. Either they've done things brilliantly or they're a complete disaster.

[00:01:12] In some settings, a difficult class in school or a challenging work environment, this can serve us well and earn us praise.

[00:01:20] But when applied to every single everyday task, perfectionism can sap the joy from your life, lead you to work yourself to the bone,

[00:01:29] and crush your ability to be present as you obsess about whether you did or will do a good enough job in each of your endeavors.

[00:01:36] Bottom line, unbridled perfectionism will disrupt your capacity to experience contentment and joy.

[00:01:45] Freeing yourself from the logistical burden and psychological paralysis of perfectionism liberates you to manage the wide scope and scale of everything you need to do and helps you stay grounded over the long haul.

[00:01:58] This is especially important in our current climate. Many of us have been forced to do new things or to learn to do old things in new ways.

[00:02:06] The drive for perfectionism can be so paralyzing it expands an already difficult job into an impossible, ginormous one.

[00:02:15] What's more, you stand to lose out on a fantastic opportunity to reinvent a process which often takes a bit of trial and error along with the rest of the world.

[00:02:25] Easy as it may be to understand why you must conquer perfectionism, figuring out how to do it can be a bit more complex.

[00:02:35] Perfectionism can be so ingrained in one's nature that telling a perfectionist not to be a perfectionist is like telling a cat not to chase a mouse or a fish not to swim.

[00:02:45] That's where something I like to call selective perfectionism comes in.

[00:02:50] Applying selective perfectionism with max mod min.

[00:02:54] With so many things to do every day, it's easy to lose perspective and always think you have to do things par excellence.

[00:03:03] Perfection is a drive for safety.

[00:03:05] No fear of criticism or wrongdoing.

[00:03:08] Yet the phrase, it doesn't have to be perfect, is relatively meaningless.

[00:03:12] What the heck does that mean anyway?

[00:03:15] Max mod min is a tactical handbrake that slows you down enough to ask yourself,

[00:03:21] Before I do this, what am I trying to achieve?

[00:03:24] Then you can answer, what's a good enough job?

[00:03:28] Here's how it works.

[00:03:30] For any task or activity that threatens to swallow you whole or that you're procrastinating because it's so overwhelming to complete to perfection,

[00:03:39] define three levels of performance.

[00:03:41] Maximum or max, moderate or mod, and minimum or min.

[00:03:47] First, max.

[00:03:49] What is the maximum I can do?

[00:03:51] What does truly perfect look like?

[00:03:54] Write down, very specifically, all the actions you envision that would add up to the most stellar job.

[00:04:01] Next, ask what is the minimum I could do?

[00:04:04] Yes, skip moderate until the end.

[00:04:07] Imagine you have run out of time, you can't skip out on the task,

[00:04:10] but you need to do the most basic version that will still get the job done.

[00:04:15] Then, define mod.

[00:04:16] Mod.

[00:04:16] What is something above the bare minimum if you have a little more time to make it special without going crazy?

[00:04:23] Here are a few examples.

[00:04:25] Let's say you're going to, number one, improve your health and fitness.

[00:04:29] Max.

[00:04:30] Buy a full set of weights and kettlebells.

[00:04:33] Research the best, most effective home workout videos.

[00:04:36] Start a 30-day elimination diet, cutting out sugar, dairy, caffeine, and alcohol.

[00:04:42] Mod.

[00:04:43] Mod.

[00:04:43] Buy two 10-pound weights, find a YouTube workout video series that you enjoy,

[00:04:48] reduce your consumption of added sugar.

[00:04:51] And min.

[00:04:52] 15 minutes of movement every morning, and eat more mindfully.

[00:04:56] Number two, host a virtual book club.

[00:05:00] Max.

[00:05:01] Choose a book to read.

[00:05:02] Mail each person a copy of the book, complete with a note on why you think they'll each enjoy it,

[00:05:07] a themed cocktail recipe for everyone to make and sip on during the meeting,

[00:05:12] a set of discussion questions to consider, and a list of ground rules for the meeting.

[00:05:16] And send out an e-card invitation, including the Zoom link, as a reminder the week before.

[00:05:22] Mod.

[00:05:23] Create a new poll every month with a few new book suggestions for people to choose from.

[00:05:28] Have everyone order their own books online.

[00:05:30] Send out a warm email reminding everyone of the meeting date and time a week before,

[00:05:35] and attach a set of discussion questions you found online.

[00:05:39] And min.

[00:05:41] Have everyone take turns choosing the book and order their own copies online.

[00:05:45] Send out a meeting link five minutes before your schedule to get together.

[00:05:49] Once you've defined three levels of performance,

[00:05:51] you can choose the one that's most appropriate for the circumstances,

[00:05:55] the time you have available, and what else you have on your plate.

[00:05:58] Sometimes you'll choose max, sometimes mod, sometimes mint.

[00:06:03] The muscle is breaking the all-or-nothing thinking that leads to overwork or paralysis,

[00:06:08] and recognizing you have options.

[00:06:15] You just listened to the post titled,

[00:06:17] Why and How You Must Conquer Perfectionism,

[00:06:21] by Julie Morgenstern of juliemorgenstern.com,

[00:06:24] and I'll be right back with my commentary.

[00:06:26] The holidays can really strain your wallet.

[00:06:28] We've all been there, me included.

[00:06:30] It could take months to rebuild those savings,

[00:06:32] but holiday spending doesn't have to derail your financial progress.

[00:06:36] With Chime, you can actually stay ahead of your expenses.

[00:06:40] I discovered their spot me feature when I nearly overdrafted buying last-minute gifts.

[00:06:45] Instead of getting hit with a $35 fee like my old bank would charge,

[00:06:49] Chime spotted me up to $200 with zero fees.

[00:06:52] Plus, with no monthly fees and early direct deposit access,

[00:06:56] you're set up to maintain healthy finances year-round.

[00:06:59] Enjoy the holidays while keeping your financial goals on track with Chime.

[00:07:04] Open your account in two minutes at Chime.com slash old.

[00:07:09] That's Chime.com slash OLD.

[00:07:12] Chime feels like progress.

[00:07:14] Banking services and debit card provided by the Bancorp Bank, NA, or Stride Bank, NA, members FDIC.

[00:07:21] Spot me eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply.

[00:07:24] Direct deposit timing depends on submission of payment file.

[00:07:27] Booths are available to eligible Chime members enrolled in Spot me

[00:07:30] and are subject to monthly limits.

[00:07:32] Fees apply at out-of-network ATMs and for OTC withdrawals.

[00:07:36] Thank you to Julie.

[00:07:38] Very relevant for me personally,

[00:07:40] and hopefully there's something in this that you could take away

[00:07:43] even if you don't identify as a perfectionist.

[00:07:46] When it comes to this podcast,

[00:07:48] I used to agonize over every extra sound,

[00:07:52] every weird mouth noise,

[00:07:54] a breath that didn't sound right.

[00:07:56] This was happening more in 2016 when we didn't have like six different podcasts

[00:08:00] we were producing all at once.

[00:08:02] But as we started adding more podcasts,

[00:08:04] I was sort of forced to let some things go

[00:08:07] with encouragement from the co-founder of these shows actually.

[00:08:11] He would insist that he couldn't actually hear the difference

[00:08:14] when I was making some of these kinds of edits,

[00:08:17] which just goes to show how perfectionism can't really be a waste of time.

[00:08:21] Maybe five or 10% of people would be listening close enough to hear

[00:08:25] that weird breath or mouth noise,

[00:08:28] but maybe you're listening in the car

[00:08:29] and the sound of driving overtakes it,

[00:08:32] or you're listening in the shower,

[00:08:34] which I've heard other people do.

[00:08:36] In that case, there's no way you can hear these tiny, tiny edits.

[00:08:40] So it took a while and a lot of push and pull,

[00:08:43] but I finally found a place where I can edit lots of shows in one day

[00:08:47] and not feel too overwhelmed with all of it.

[00:08:50] But if you're not in a situation that's similar to mine

[00:08:53] and you could use a little help,

[00:08:55] the max mod min framework is a really great way to see

[00:08:58] where you're falling on that scale.

[00:09:01] If you're all the way over on the max side,

[00:09:03] there's definitely room to move without compromising quality.

[00:09:07] So something to think about today.

[00:09:09] Thank you for listening and not paying attention

[00:09:11] to my weird breaths or mouth noises that might appear.

[00:09:14] Have a great rest of your day

[00:09:15] and I'll see you over the weekend

[00:09:17] where your optimal life awaits.