
The Anxious Perfectionist

We fail to see, or refuse to accept, that any attempt to bring our ideas into concrete reality must inevitably fall short of our dreams, no matter how brilliantly we succeed in carrying things off—because reality, unlike fantasy, is a realm in which we don’t have limitless control, and can’t possibly hope to meet our perfectionist standards. Someth... See more
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
We fail to see, or refuse to accept, that any attempt to bring our ideas into concrete reality must inevitably fall short of our dreams, no matter how brilliantly we succeed in carrying things off—because reality, unlike fantasy, is a realm in which we don’t have limitless control, and can’t possibly hope to meet our perfectionist standards. Someth... See more
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
One antidote is to allow yourself to imagine what it might feel like to know you'd never fully get on top of your work, never become a really disciplined exerciser or healthy eater, never resolve the personal issue you feel defines your life's troubles. What if I'll always feel behind with my email? What if listening attentively to other people wil
... See moreOliver Burkeman • What if You Never Sort Your Life Out? | Oliver Burkeman
Through talking to my supervisor, it became clear that my graveyard of projects was a product of self-handicapping . We avoid finishing projects because we can't stand the possibility that the finished product won't be as great or perfect as we envisioned it, which means we aren't as great as we think we are. Consider the violinist who intentionall... See more