Should you call yourself a perfectionist? There are some common characteristics, like doing things well, thoroughly, or efficiently.
Indeed, sweating the small stuff is an advantage when it comes to impressing the boss, turning out a restaurant-worthy dinner party, or organising the garage with the intricacy of a game of Tetris.
But it can be a hindrance when you spend so much time tinkering that you never actually get a project done, get sucked so far into the details that you lose the forest for the trees, or insist that the two sides to every argument are your way and the wrong way.
However there are some lesser known signs of perfectionism and here are a few that can come in handy.
* You might be the type of perfectionist who doesn’t care what you look like as you might save your perfectionism for other domains.
Steve Jobs reportedly wore a black turtleneck and Levi’s every day so he didn’t have to waste neurons on deciding what to wear.
* You do not open your mouth until you are clear about something.
In brainstorming sessions at work, you wonder how people can offer up such bad ideas without being embarrassed. You marvel not only at how they are not afraid for their underdone ideas to fail, but how sometimes, they hit on something big. You wish you could spitball with them, but it just doesn’t feel safe.
* You list out the things that you have to do and make the most of your time. You are productive and get things done effectively and well—nothing wrong with that at all.
* Feeling restless and driven often gets mistaken for being a workaholic, but underneath is usually deep-seated perfectionism.
If this is you, unstructured time feels wrong—there’s something else you could be doing. You resent the hours it takes to go for a hike, watch a movie, or play a softball game with your friends because it’s such a time and energy suck. You may leave your vacation time on the table because breaks interrupt your routine. And holidays are the best time to get stuff done because no one else is around to bother you.
* There’s nothing wrong with being neat and organised, but it can also a hidden sign of perfectionism. Preferring outer order is fine if it’s not getting in your way.
Courtesy: www.quickanddirtytip
