Infuse Infuse 2 December 2017 | Page 28

Confessions of a
Recovering
Perfectionist
with
S
8 TIP lp
to he !
s
other
by Maree Ferguson,
Founder & Director, Dietitian Connection
A
re you a perfectionist? I certainly
am. I suspect it’s also a trait that
many of my fellow dietitians
possess, given our scientific training and our
tendency towards precision, transparency
and accountability.
Sorry, I just re-wrote that first paragraph five times –
let me start again!
Just kidding. In all seriousness, being a perfectionist
can be a challenge. But I’ve made some progress in
managing my perfectionist tendencies over the years
as I got to know myself better, and I’d like to share
what’s worked for me, in hopes you can apply some
of the same strategies.
Here are my 8 TIPS on overcoming
onist:
your inner perfecti
1
Just let those ideas flow:
Quickly complete a first draft
to get your ideas on paper,
then share it with someone
else for their feedback. We are our
own worst critics, so if someone you
respect says what you have written
is okay, it’s usually good enough to
hit the “send” button.
© Dietitian Connection
28
2
Set a time limit: I give myself
a dedicated amount of time to
complete a task; for example, for
this article, I allotted a maximum
of one hour. I’m less likely to
procrastinate (and go and visit
social media!) if I have a short
amount of time to finish writing.
Work generally expands to fill the
available time.
3
Do your best work when
you’re fresh: I write first thing
on a Monday morning, ideally
before opening email, when I
am fresh from the weekend and
less likely to be distracted by the
happenings of the week to come.
Infuse | December 2017