Perfectionism and procrastination

T

Torzum

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Because of issues with perfectionism (or maybe I even have full-blown OCD..?) I take much longer to do things than most people, and if I don't feel like I'll be able to do something very well, then I end up putting it off until later.

I've been meaning to start using the GTD system for years now (I bought the book a few years ago, but life got in the way so I never implemented, and so not until a month or so ago, when I bought the newest edition of the book, did I feel ready to get started again), and I'm close now, but I'm still having trouble getting started! My plan was to start this weekend, but Sunday's almost halfway over and I still haven't really begun really. I'm sort of feeling hung up because I don't have all the materials yet (I have some filing cabinets, but no file-hangers, and I have a printer and label paper, but I don't have a stand-alone labeler)...

As I write this, I guess the answer to my issues seems obvious, I just need to stop being a perfectionist and get moving. But I'm wondering if this kind of thing is common for other people who use GTD, or if this kind of problematic thinking is unique to me. Maybe I need to deal with my perfectionism more before I try and get started here..? (Although again, after writing that, I sort of see that's just perfectionist thinking itself, and so I probably just need to GET STARTED..!)

Anyone else have these kinds of troubles? If I had more money right now, I'd hire a coach to help me out, but that's definitely not in the budget at the present time...
 
Soooooooooooooo relatable. I bought the book and implemented some stuff, i make lists mostly and i keep my unread emails up to a halfway decent number (103 and counting atm). However for weeks i have a project called 'physical in' on my list, meaning i still need do get a big (forget big, huge) bin and collect everything that is floating around my house atm. Also I have not given a lot of thought about my area's of responsibility yet. Instead after reading GTD i decided i should read making it all work and ready for anything first to be more ready. And also read up on anything and everything on the forum before taking a next step. So yeah, you are definitely not the only one. This being an extra special case of do what i say, not what i do, i would recommend you just get started and take it from there. (even if that is spending three days re-inventing your system just as many times). Because what i did learn from my very limited experience is that every step that you do take, makes a difference and makes it more attractive to take the next one.
 
Torzum said:
Because of issues with perfectionism...
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You have to advance your Perfectionism (P) to Professional Perfectionism (P²). In the first step the Professional Perfectionist perfectly defines the required and sufficient level of the outcome quality of a given Project or Action. Then he perfectly executes Action(s) to achieve this level. Try it. It may sound silly but works.
 
The trouble is, the most important things for us to do are very often things we have not done before -- therefore, they will not be perfect.

The things we can do perfectly are the things we have done before and have refined over time.

So, for those of us who like to do things well, we are torn between doing what is important but new (and therefore almost guaranteed to be flawed) or less important but perfect.

So, if you choose to do the most important things, you must resign yourself to the fact that you are probably breaking new ground, and it will take a few iterations to get that ground to a point where it is autonomously producing wonderful fruit :)

And a final note: I make my living as a writer and course developer. I depend on subject matter experts to give me guidance. I have found they cannot give me good detailed guidance until I give them a straw horse to shoot at. Without a straw horse, they are just flinging arrows all over the place. But if I give them a straw horse, no matter how flawed, it gives them something they can see, and they can shoot it full of arrows. And I must remember I intentionally asked them to shoot at my straw horse, and that each of those arrows helps me to build the most incredible thoroughbred racer.

I have heard some people call such an approach 'trial and error'. I prefer the term 'iterative design' :)
 
Torzum said:
Anyone else have these kinds of troubles?
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Yes, I believe you are probably representing for a great many people. You mention perfectionism. Coincidentally, a couple of hours ago I was looking up the origin of the phrase, "the perfect is the enemy of the good." I discovered that it's been around for centuries, in many variations. (Perhaps that means it has never been said perfectly.)

Rather than wait for all of the materials, I suggest starting with a Mind Sweep. Just take anywhere from a couple of minutes to a couple of hours to externalize what has your attention. Doesn't matter if you write it down on paper or capture it digitally. Go for quantity, not quality. You'll have a list of unclarified stuff. This list is not a To-Do list. You are simply externalizing what's on your mind, and not making any commitment to do anything yet.

At this point most people feel some combination of grief and relief. Grief that there's so much stuff, and relief at being able to view it objectively. You've just made an excellent start on the Capture step. There's an overview here:
http://gettingthingsdone.com/fivesteps/

And the book is your best reference for how to proceed. I can say from experience, any amount of doing GTD helps, even if done imperfectly.
 
Thanks everyone for the feedback and encouragement!

Unfortunately, the weekend ended last night and I still hadn't started on my "initial implementation" yet. But I think I'm slowly but surely taking small steps in the right direction, and hope to begin soon.

I think giving myself permission to not have to do my first big "Mind Sweep" in one large two-consecutive-days chunk, but to instead spread it out over a longer period of time if/when I have free time to work on it, will help me out. That said, I still haven't started, so I've got a ways to go yet! Wish me luck!!
 
Torzum said:
I think giving myself permission to not have to do my first big "Mind Sweep" in one large two-consecutive-days chunk, but to instead spread it out over a longer period of time if/when I have free time to work on it, will help me out. That said, I still haven't started, so I've got a ways to go yet! Wish me luck!!
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That's OK. Probably it is The GTD Heresy but I think you can start WITHOUT the initial Mind Sweep. Just have a notepad with you all the time and write down everything that's on your mind. Toss all notes to the inbox and then process them... Good luck!
 
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