Have you ever found yourself doing the least important things on 
your to-do list, while procrastinating on the very things that 
matter most? It's easy to understand why we procrastinate on 
things that are unpleasant, expensive, or time consuming. (That's 
why there's a line at the post office on April 15th at midnight.) 
But why do we procrastinate on doing the things that will yield 
truly beneficial results in areas we feel passionate about? I 
read an interesting comment recently that said, "Inside every 
procrastinator lives a perfectionist." 

Have you ever delayed starting a project because you were waiting 
for conditions to be "just right," so you could complete it? If 
so, you might be a perfectionist. But have you ever put it off so 
long that you had to submit work you were unhappy with, or worse 
yet -actually missed the deadline altogether? Then you may very 
well be a "procrastinating perfectionist." This is the double 
bind: by setting up the unreasonable standard of perfection, the 
procrastinating perfectionist has sabotaged themselves so that 
work conditions and subsequent results end up being below 
average. 

So what does one who is stuck in this self-defeating pattern do? 
The long-term solution is to do a little deep-digging to see what 
your relationship is to perfection, control, and self-sabotage. 
Ok, so there's a life-time worth of work! What about right now? 
Sometimes it's easier to work with a perceived problem rather 
than try to eradicate it. Can your inner-perfectionist be 
mobilized to overcome your inner-procrastinator? Here are a few 
tips to psyche yourself out of a perfectionist slow down.

First, consider that no self-respecting perfectionist can stand 
the shame of missing a deadline and use this to your advantage. 
Give yourself extra credit for timeliness. Deduct points for 
procrastination. 

Just start! If you are a true dyed-in-the-wool perfectionist, you 
don't need conditions to be as perfect as you would like. Once 
you get going, your natural excellence will kick in. 

Remember, that your perfectionism is largely subjective. Don't 
complicate your projects with unnecessary details. Focus on 
accomplishing the "must do's" first. Then add the extras that you 
love so much. 

And lastly, give up the idea that you must do everything on your 
own. If you don't want to give up control by delegating some of 
the work, that's fine. But do get an accountability partner that 
you report your progress to on a regular basis.
 

Jaya Schillinger "The Turnaround Queen" at 
http://www.InspirationInc.com is a certified life coach 
& small business consultant with over 20 years of business 
ownership & management experience in the fields of personal 
development, health, and beauty.
©2005 Jaya Schillinger, Inspiration Inc.