Somewhere along the way,

many of us picked up the idea that

if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing perfectly.

​

But let’s be honest,

perfection is a moving target and,

in most cases, a monster of our own making.

​

More often than not, the pursuit of perfect

isn’t making our work better

it’s making everything

harder.

​

And letting go of perfectionism

doesn’t mean letting go of excellence.

​

It means you’re not getting yourself stuck in an

endless loop of over-polishing, overthinking & overdoing.

Perfectionism comes at a cost, both individually and organizationally.

​

On an individual level, perfectionism leads to:

​

Chronic self-doubt.

No matter how much effort you put in,

it never feels like enough.

​

Emotional exhaustion.

The constant pressure to

meet impossibly high standards

drains your energy and creativity.

​

Lack of fulfillment.

You achieve a goal

but feel no satisfaction.

​

Fear of failure and judgment.

You filter, shrink, over-adapt or over-polish,

preventing your true self from

fully showing up.

​

Loss of joy in the process.

You’re so busy worrying about the final result that

you miss out on the excitement of creation &

the opportunity to feel pride in your work

​

On an organizational level, perfectionism leads to:

​

Slowed decision-making.

Teams spend too much time deliberating, not enough time doing.

​

Bottlenecks and inefficiencies.

Work stalls because no one wants to

submit something that isn’t impeccable.

​

Opportunity cost of over-investment.

The extra 20% effort beyond the 80% ‘good enough’

pulls resources away from high-value initiatives.

​

Culture of second-guessing and suppression of creativity.

When perfection is the expectation,

people hesitate to take initiative or share ideas.

​

Morale and burnout.

Employees feel exhausted and disengaged

when the bar is always impossibly high.

​

Here’s the deal:

​

Perfectionism is the enemy of self-esteem & progress.

Learning how to manage it: priceless.

​

Introducing the Strategic Downgrade

​

Not everything deserves your 100% energy.

​

Knowing where to fully invest & where to accept good enough

is key to optimizing your effort & maximizing your impact.

​

Downgrading your output isn’t about cutting corners.

It’s about preserving your energy for what actually matters.

​

High-impact work gets high-energy focus,

lower-impact work gets a “good enough” approach.

​

Building the Case for Downgrading

For high-achievers, downgrading feels unnatural.

​

But let’s be honest:

you’ve done it before, and it's worked.

​

Think back to a time when

you thought you hadn’t done enough,

and the outcome proved it was more than enough.

• The quick email that landed the deal.
• The rushed presentation that still wowed the room.
• The thrown-together event that turned into a huge success.

​

Make a list of your own examples.

​

Let them remind you:

• Your 80% is already exceptional.
• You can downgrade strategically and still win.
• Your work doesn’t need to be perfect to be valuable.

​

Now, let’s dive into when to downgrade.

What to do when you’re under the influence

​

Perfectionism has a way of sneaking up on you.

​

One moment, you’re focused on delivering high-quality work;

the next, you’re stuck in endless tweaking, overthinking or

delaying something that’s already good enough.

​

It can feel like you’re making things better, but often,

you’re just burning time, energy, and focus

that could be spent elsewhere.

​

So how do you know when perfectionism has taken the wheel?

And more importantly, how do you course-correct?

​

Here’s how to recognize the signs and shift

toward a more intentional, strategic approach.

​

1. You’re over-investing in something with low long-term impact.

Example: Spending hours perfecting an internal process while neglecting a high-level strategic initiative.

Perfectionism says: The small things matter just as much as the big things.

Ask yourself: Is this the best use of my time, or am I avoiding the bigger, harder work?

Downgrade by: Ensuring your time and effort align with the highest-impact priorities instead of getting stuck in lower-value tasks.

​

2. You’re stuck in analysis paralysis.

Example: Endlessly perseverating on a decision, weighing every possible outcome.

Perfectionism says: Keep deliberating until you are absolutely certain.

Ask yourself: Is more consideration leading to more certainty or just delaying progress?

Downgrade by: Setting a decision deadline and going all in.

​

3. You’re prioritizing polish over progress.

Example: Revising an internal email (again) instead of sending it and moving on.

Perfectionism says: Tweak it until it shines enough to reflect back on you.

Ask yourself: Does this need to be perfect, or just clear?

Downgrade by: Focusing on impact and substance rather than unnecessary embellishments.

​

4. You’re afraid of being judged or getting it wrong.

Example: Holding back ideas in a meeting because they aren’t perfectly formed.

Perfectionism says: If it’s not perfect, people will think less of you.

Ask yourself: What’s the worst that would actually happen if this isn’t perfect?

Downgrade by: Building the habit of sharing ideas early, associating your value with ideation, not perfection.

​

5. You’re delaying higher-impact work by obsessing over details.

Example: Spending hours adjusting slide transitions instead of preparing key content.

Perfectionism says: Every task deserves your full effort.

Ask yourself: Is this adding real value or just draining my time?

Downgrade by: Prioritizing work that moves the needle and letting go of unnecessary refinements.

​

6. You feel drained but keep pushing for perfection.

Example: Staying up late perfecting a report that was already solid.

Perfectionism says: It could always be better.

Ask yourself: Would anyone else even notice the difference?

Downgrade by: Recognizing when a task is complete and moving on.

​

7. You’re avoiding feedback or launching because it’s not “ready”.

Example: Waiting too long to share a draft for fear of criticism.

Perfectionism says: You only get one chance to make it right.

Ask yourself: Can this be improved after launch?

Downgrade by: Thinking in iterations. Put it out there now and refine later.

​

8. You’re sacrificing well-being to get something “just right”.

Example: Skipping meals or sleep to obsess over a minor detail.

Perfectionism says: Push through at all costs.

Ask yourself: What else is at stake if I compromise my health for this?

Downgrade by: Enforcing personal boundaries and stepping back when necessary.

​

10. You’re holding yourself to a higher standard than others.

Example: Going beyond what you would ask someone else to do.

Perfectionism says: You have to be the best.

Ask yourself: Would I expect this level of effort from someone else?

Downgrade by: Recognizing that your 80% is already exceptional.

How to Downgrade Without Sacrificing Impact

​

Recognizing perfectionism is the first step.

​

Now it’s time to take action.

​

Downgrading doesn’t mean lowering your standards;

it means applying your energy where it truly counts.

​

Instead of giving every task 100% effort,

reserve your best for what matters most and

allow “good enough” to be great for everything else.

​

Here’s how to downgrade strategically while still maintaining impact.

​

✅ Identify the Must-Haves.

Focus on the core essentials of the task and

let go of anything that doesn’t directly

contribute to those things.

​

✅ Leverage Tools & Templates.

Don’t start from scratch.

Use pre-built resources, automation or AI to reduce effort while maintaining quality.

​

✅ Time-Box Your Efforts.

Set a strict time limit for downgraded tasks

to prevent over-investing energy.

​

✅ Think in Versions.

Instead of obsessing over a perfect rollout,

release a solid V1 and refine later.

Free your mind, the rest will follow.

​

Downgrading isn’t about slacking,

it’s about smart energy management.

​

It’s the difference between being busy and being effective.

​

So next time you feel perfectionism creeping in, ask yourself:

“What’s the ‘good enough’ version of this?”

​

Because a lot of the time, good enough is actually great.

And once you make that adjustment, your impact will skyrocket.

​

So I’d love to know… which example of perfectionism resonates most with you

and more importantly, what do you plan to do to downgrade?

​

xx, Nicole

​

If you know a friend who’s a chronic perfectionist, forward this issue!

New here? Subscribe to get this newsletter sent straight to your inbox.

Missed out on an issue? Find it here.

Want to hang on the regular? Let’s Connect on LinkedIn!

​

​