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“Avoid perfectionism. It often leads to decision-paralysis and excessive procrastination.” ― Izey Victoria Odiase.

People often associate perfectionist-like behaviour with high achievers of whom feel the need to strive for flawlessness and push themselves to do their absolute best, and even expect big things from others. Perfectionism can indeed be a very positive and prestigious characteristic, but it is without a doubt a double-edged sword as many who identify with this trait are critical of one’s self through the concerns and evaluations of others. Some tendencies have also been linked to things like anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and some people even experience both personal and professional setbacks as it can become difficult to complete tasks for the fear of it never being fully finished. Often times perfectionism can cause us to stop before we have even started as we feel overwhelmed or excessive amounts of pressure. But mainly with perfectionist-like behaviour, there is the fear that they won’t live up to their own standards or the standards of others. 

If you are in the position where you are needing or wanting to release content regularly but have had these thoughts run through your head, ‘It’s not as good as his/hers’ or ‘There’s much better content in this industry already out there’ and even ‘I need to start over, my audience won’t understand or relate to this’, then know you’re not alone. Understanding the difference between great and good enough when it comes to releasing your content is almost an art. You want to set a strong foundation for your work by distributing quality and engaging content which is critical for having viewers tune in or return to your platform. But on the other hand, spending countless hours editing and re-shaping every single piece of work can become more of a struggle than an opportunity to do what you love. Perfectionism crushes creativity, and ultimately most people are going to respond to authenticity, originality, and consistency as it relates to content. Anything you create WILL be original, so by embracing your personal style and trying to resist comparing yourself and your work to other creators, it becomes easier to distribute content more frequently.

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Developing a well-planned content strategy will also help to de-emphasize the need for high-quality production within your content. With a strategy, It will become evident that it’s more important to work towards your big goals than to allocate the majority of your time and energy to each individual piece of content. Essentially, a content strategy will assist you to organize your content calendar and keep you on track. It will help prioritize where to focus your attention so you can become less fixated on perfecting your work, and instead ensuring it’s of high enough quality to be released onto your platform within a timely manner, all while working towards your big picture goals. By acting as a guideline, a well-constructed content strategy will inspire you to dedicate the time to enhance your own skills and abilities in order to put out even higher quality content as you progress.  

If you have ever been a loyal follower of a brand, artist, business, or content creator, you will know that where they started is much different than where they are now. The strength and quality of one’s content will develop throughout their journey, and people love to watch the evolution! Anyone who has ever built anything and released it into the world will admit their first model (whether it be code, art, or a podcast) was much not great in comparison to what they are able to achieve now. The process of evolution is a story that consumers and viewers want to feel a part of, as they too are learning as they go. So, the need to produce ‘perfect’ content in the beginning stages of your platform or your work is actually deterring viewers from relating to your process. Enhancing and growing your content also requires engaging with your audience no matter how big or small. Anyone can consume content, but people often come back when they feel they are part of the creation process and especially a part of a community. The development of your content will continuously evolve, but the interactions you have with your consumers should always be consistent! Connecting with your viewers will also demonstrate how to craft and create content as you progress as the audience’s questions and opinions typically determine what is share-worthy. 

Whether you consider yourself a ‘perfectionist’ or even if you don’t,  releasing projects you’ve spent countless hours on can be difficult. But as we’ve discussed, spending even more time and energy editing or re-doing each piece of content can be even more challenging and harmful in the long run. It’s great to set high standards for both your work ethic and the content you produce, but remember how you evolve and engage with your audience is part of the story of your success and that’s what will drive viewers to continue to follow your journey.