Being a Perfectionist
Some kids grew up messy, and others were fastidious. My childhood was 90% slob and 10% doing my best to keep things clean. The clean aspect was only applied to activities I enjoyed but included taking things apart (making a mess) to see how they worked.
As I grew, my personality changed, and I began emphasizing order over chaos, which spiked in the ninth grade when my focus shifted towards improving my grades and keeping my room clean. I now see that this was the genesis of my perfectionist attitude.
What is a perfectionist? It is consciously taking the attitude that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing correctly. This means no cutting corners or acting sloppy. This attitude now encompasses my job, driving, house, and lifestyle. Of course, I do not apply my compulsion toward all aspects of my life. My wife always comments that I do not vacuum as often as she would like and the bathrooms should be cleaner—all valid points.
Being a perfectionist has its downsides. I know that my attitude annoys those around me, especially in my engineering job. I have to keep tinkering, which delays completion. I simply cannot leave something alone. As an example, I am presently working on a technical drawing that has been submitted five times. Each submission contained minor improvements, but I am uncomfortable considering it was done. Did my perfection result in a better drawing? Yes. Did the cost justify the result? I believe it did, but my attitude upset two coworkers. I should have declared “good enough” much earlier.
I am aware of my perfectionist attitude and working hard to manage overcompensations. If I were to survey my friends, they would likely score me at 30% on the perfection scale. This is due to my casual approach to life and lack of confrontation.
I try to focus my articles on writing, and it is an excellent exercise to explore how my attitude affects my words. Since I care about writing, it should be no surprise that my perfectionist attitude is deeply present. As an example, the draft of this article took 30 minutes to write. I self-edited it for two weeks, taking two hours. Right before publishing, I will do a review, then a spell/grammar/style check with Grammarly and ProWritingAid. I have put my books through 20+ self-edits, Grammarly/ProWritingAid (four times), a beta reader, editor, copy editor, and spot checker.
I make many changes during book editing, ranging from a single word to adding or removing entire chapters. I will rarely go back and replace something I have edited with a prior version. I think this is the true mark of a perfectionist.
Of course, I see improved results, which leads to a better reader experience. The story improves ~1% during these self-edits and remains 99% of the original. The change comes from filling in gaps and removing distractions. However, one could argue that I should have achieved a “good enough” state months before the release.
Does my perfectionist attitude make me a better author? The grammar and flow will be better, but multiple edits remove the subtle details that give a story its charm. I suppose this makes my work bland.
On a side note, I recently read Reamde by Neal Stephenson and noticed areas requiring obvious editing. What was I thinking? I felt myself wanting to edit his book. I found my obsession with perfection amusing and strangely compulsive.
Another problem with my attitude is that finishing the editing process takes a long time. This perfection attitude infuriates my editors and cover designers. I cannot let go and trust them to do their jobs.
In confronting my perfectionist attitude, I have devised a better plan for my next two books. I will do a more disciplined editing job before handing them to the professionals. In a way, this will be harnessing my perfectionist attitude. Of course, I have developed a checklist to help with this endeavor. The circle of perfection is complete.
Will I be able to reduce my perfectionist attitude as I grow older? Alas, no. In many ways, I am honing my attitude to encourage perfection. I suppose a perfectionist can never sit still. Dang. The truth hurts—something for my perfectionist mind to consider.
You’re the best -Bill
September 25 2019 Updated August 24, 2024
As I grew, my personality changed, and I began emphasizing order over chaos, which spiked in the ninth grade when my focus shifted towards improving my grades and keeping my room clean. I now see that this was the genesis of my perfectionist attitude.
What is a perfectionist? It is consciously taking the attitude that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing correctly. This means no cutting corners or acting sloppy. This attitude now encompasses my job, driving, house, and lifestyle. Of course, I do not apply my compulsion toward all aspects of my life. My wife always comments that I do not vacuum as often as she would like and the bathrooms should be cleaner—all valid points.
Being a perfectionist has its downsides. I know that my attitude annoys those around me, especially in my engineering job. I have to keep tinkering, which delays completion. I simply cannot leave something alone. As an example, I am presently working on a technical drawing that has been submitted five times. Each submission contained minor improvements, but I am uncomfortable considering it was done. Did my perfection result in a better drawing? Yes. Did the cost justify the result? I believe it did, but my attitude upset two coworkers. I should have declared “good enough” much earlier.
I am aware of my perfectionist attitude and working hard to manage overcompensations. If I were to survey my friends, they would likely score me at 30% on the perfection scale. This is due to my casual approach to life and lack of confrontation.
I try to focus my articles on writing, and it is an excellent exercise to explore how my attitude affects my words. Since I care about writing, it should be no surprise that my perfectionist attitude is deeply present. As an example, the draft of this article took 30 minutes to write. I self-edited it for two weeks, taking two hours. Right before publishing, I will do a review, then a spell/grammar/style check with Grammarly and ProWritingAid. I have put my books through 20+ self-edits, Grammarly/ProWritingAid (four times), a beta reader, editor, copy editor, and spot checker.
I make many changes during book editing, ranging from a single word to adding or removing entire chapters. I will rarely go back and replace something I have edited with a prior version. I think this is the true mark of a perfectionist.
Of course, I see improved results, which leads to a better reader experience. The story improves ~1% during these self-edits and remains 99% of the original. The change comes from filling in gaps and removing distractions. However, one could argue that I should have achieved a “good enough” state months before the release.
Does my perfectionist attitude make me a better author? The grammar and flow will be better, but multiple edits remove the subtle details that give a story its charm. I suppose this makes my work bland.
On a side note, I recently read Reamde by Neal Stephenson and noticed areas requiring obvious editing. What was I thinking? I felt myself wanting to edit his book. I found my obsession with perfection amusing and strangely compulsive.
Another problem with my attitude is that finishing the editing process takes a long time. This perfection attitude infuriates my editors and cover designers. I cannot let go and trust them to do their jobs.
In confronting my perfectionist attitude, I have devised a better plan for my next two books. I will do a more disciplined editing job before handing them to the professionals. In a way, this will be harnessing my perfectionist attitude. Of course, I have developed a checklist to help with this endeavor. The circle of perfection is complete.
Will I be able to reduce my perfectionist attitude as I grow older? Alas, no. In many ways, I am honing my attitude to encourage perfection. I suppose a perfectionist can never sit still. Dang. The truth hurts—something for my perfectionist mind to consider.
You’re the best -Bill
September 25 2019 Updated August 24, 2024
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