DELETE THIS.  MOVE THIS. CHANGE THIS

I remember writing my first credit paper like it was yesterday.

I studied all the earlier papers.  Buried myself in online research.  And pored over sets of financial accounts.

My boss reviewed my work.  And when he gave it back, it was covered in red ink.

Arrows, lines and scrawls. 

I made the edits and nervously handed it back for review.

And back it came again.

ADD THIS.  CLARIFY THIS.  UPDATE THIS. 

Back and forth, trying to get the paper as perfect as possible.

I updated the paper 7 times before my boss was happy with it. 

Then it went to my boss's boss.

Guess what?

I DON’T UNDERSTAND THIS BIT.  WHY HAVE YOU SAID THIS?  CHANGE THIS.

You might have your own version of this.  A non-stop to’ing and fro’ing to get a paper or report as perfect as possible.

A process like this is inefficient, mind-numbing and a complete waste of time.

Bad enough on their own.

But actually, this is just scratching the surface.  There’s something a lot more insidious at play here.

And it’s this:

The process I describe is trying to create a perfect report.  Even one word out of place was underlined in bold red pen.  If a word isn’t perfect, it’s not good enough.

Yet it’s an immutable truth that there’s no such thing as perfection. 

So the corporate system is instilling a way of working that says “perfection is the aim”, even though it can never be achieved.

And this is extremely dangerous.

Investing time you'll never get back to reach an impossible outcome is a farcical state of affairs.

But I’ve also seen first-hand how striving for perfection can lead to anxiety, stress and burnout.

And how this never-ending quest for perfection at work leads to a belief that something has to be perfect to be usable.  Like that credit paper.

Which in turn meant *I* had to be perfect to be usable.

See how damaging that belief could be?

I’ve only understood recently how much power there is in imperfection.  And a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

It’s a massive, massive relief.

Life is lighter now knowing that things don’t have to be perfect.  It’s more fun.  It’s more peaceful. 

Now, I know you might be scratching your head at this email.  Like I’m stretching things too far. 

If so, that’s fine.  Today’s email isn’t for you. 

Or you might see a kernel of truth in what I say.  Like something is off with the way you feel at work but you can’t put your finger on it.

In which case, this email might help turn your dimmer switch up a few degrees.

Or maybe this email rings true for you.  You agree that spending time working on impossible outcomes is a ridiculous place to be.  And you have a suspicion this could be part of the reason work feels so exasperating.

If that’s the case, I’ve done my job.  The way I see it, your suspicion is valid.  

With all this being said, here's the takeaway:

Keep in mind that not only should you not strive for perfection, but perfection doesn’t even exist.

Not easy when you spend over 50% of your week at work.  And your boss, your processes or the system tells you otherwise. 

So this email a friendly reminder.

Okay.  No more preaching today.

If this email has got you curious to find out what this means for you, there’s a link below.  You might like to click the button.

If not, there’s always tomorrow.

Catch you then.

- Tom 

p.s. Whenever you're ready, here are the ways you can connect with me