People who have never dealt with perfectionism might not think it’s a terrible problem to have. After all, doesn’t being a perfectionist make you more likely to be motivated and successful? On the contrary, perfectionism can make it hard to manage time and deal with everyday problems, as perfectionists often get hung trying to do even the least important tasks perfectly. Here are some tips to help you manage your perfectionism on a daily basis:

Prioritize

Perfectionists often spend far too much time trying to perform mundane tasks perfectly. One way to combat this is to prioritize your daily activities before you start working on any of them. List everything you need to do in order of importance, and try to tackle the most important tasks first–this way, if you’re finding it hard to let yourself finish a task and move on, at least you’ll be spending the extra time on something important.

Take Mistakes In Stride

If you’re a perfectionist, you know that when you make a mistake, it can feel crippling and derail your productivity for the rest of the day. Making mistakes, however, is the best way to learn, so it’s important to learn to take your mistakes in stride. Next time you mess something up, force yourself to analyze what you did wrong and figure out how to avoid the mistake next time.

For example, if you got a few questions wrong on a test, instead of worrying about the lower grade, figure out what you did wrong so you don’t make the same mistake next time. It can be easy to get caught up on mistakes as a perfectionists, but try to remind yourself that by taking the time to learn from your mistakes, you can do things more ‘perfectly’ in the future.

Take A Perspective Break

Next time you find yourself panicking over a small detail that isn’t perfect, try to take a step back and give yourself a ‘perspective break.’ This refers to the simple process of asking yourself how important a task really is, a trick that can be surprisingly helpful for perfectionists. By forcing yourself to acknowledge whether whatever you’re doing is important in the long run, you’ll be able to recognize when you’re obsessing over less important tasks and save time for working on the things that actually matter.

Get A Friend’s Take

Another way to keep your tasks and problems in perspective is to ask a friend for their take on things. If you’re convinced that your room just doesn’t look right no matter how you arrange it, for example, asking a friend what they think can show you if something is actually off or if it’s just your inner perfectionist speaking. For people who find it hard to give themselves a perspective check, asking someone you know and trust for their opinion can make it easier to realize when the detail you’re stuck on simply isn’t a big deal.

Until next time, take care of yourself.