Perfectionism

Sophia Wang
Oct 8, 2024
2 min read

By Sophia Wang '28

“I’m getting that essay done in an hour,” you say. The clock ticks impatiently, waiting for you to finish. One hour progresses into two hours, then three hours… In a flash, your whole day is gone from the endless cycle of deleting and rewriting. Similar situations are felt by women all over the globe who face challenges with perfectionism and the never-ending burden to achieve higher.

A main source of this issue is the insecurity and lack of confidence in their capabilities many females have. For instance, women have the tendency to downplay their achievements and accomplishments. A study from the National Bureau of Economic Research concludes that compared to men, they are significantly more held-back when it comes to self-promotion. Time Magazine also mentions that typically women only apply for a job promotion when they meet about 100% of the qualifications, while men apply when they only have 50%. Hillary Clinton at a conference highlights that “too many young women are harder on themselves than circumstances warrant. They are too often selling themselves short.”

These thoughts can greatly impact a person’s mental and physical wellbeing, as perfectionism has been linked to health concerns and decreased productivity. 28.2% of women from the ages of 16 to 24 have a mental health condition, including anxiety and depression. Perfectionism may fuel a vicious cycle that leads from one unsatisfactory result to the next. It is also a major cause of procrastination. For example, it can exacerbate the negative emotions associated with making mistakes, leading people to avoid work as to avoid the bad emotions. To add on, perfectionism might make women believe a goal is harder to obtain than it really is, resulting in the person giving up. Almost everyone, including I, has felt distracted or unmotivated when completing work. On the other side of the spectrum, burnout– with symptoms including exhaustion, depletion, and fatigue– is likely to happen amongst perfectionalists. This occurs when someone pushes their abilities beyond their limit in the hopes they can obtain better results.

Given these challenges, there are some tips to mitigate the effects of perfectionism. Firstly, setting a time limit may reduce the amount of effort wasted and improve efficiency. It is better to complete everything imperfectly rather than having tasks left undone. Additionally, it may be helpful to estimate the amount of accuracy needed for a project. Overshooting a reasonable amount can lead to the lack of time for other requirements.

Although perfectionism is a vast occurrence affecting many, the situation can definitely be improved. The post I’m writing now isn’t perfect–in fact–nowhere near perfect. Without my willingness to accept my work for what it is after spending a few hours, I would never be able to complete this. And even if I did, it would have taken an extreme amount of time, draining hours from finishing homework and relaxing. At the end of the day, you should listen to that cheesy saying said by teachers– “Seek progress, not perfection.”