So, you’re a bit of a perfectionist. You’ve been an overachiever for as long as you can remember. You completed all of your homework on time, studied as hard as you could, and tried to always aim for 100% or even extra credit when possible.
This quality didn’t just stop at your education, though. You like to make sure that your dishes are always washed and put away, your bed is always made in the morning, and your yard is well-groomed and maintained.
You like things done a certain way. There’s nothing wrong with that. That is, until it starts to get in the way of how you live your life.
You may be putting on unnecessary pressure as a perfectionist. When you make mistakes, you may be extremely hard on yourself. You also may feel overwhelmed with the amount of work you have because you want to make sure it’s done well and correctly.
It’s time you gave up some of your workloads for your overall mental health and wellness. Here’s how to let go and delegate as a perfectionist.
Start Small
If you’re having a hard time delegating, try to start small. You don’t have to pass on an entire project, report, or presentation. Start small and work your way up from there. Maybe you can assign someone on your team a few slides in the entire deck.
You can also delegate some work that may take a large amount of time so you can focus your efforts elsewhere. Maybe there’s a task that you normally complete where you have to follow a certain number of steps. Pass that one off! You can also pass off things where someone may have skills or qualifications that are better suited for the role. Build trust and work your way up into larger projects from there.
Be Patient
Give yourself a little grace as you get started with delegating. It’s not something that will happen overnight. If you’ve been living your life a certain way for a while and not allowing anyone to help you, it’s going to be something that you’ll have to get used to doing.
You don’t have to completely give up one of the things you’re working on. Dedicate time to having a member of your team shadow you. You can build a library of notes and recordings on how to complete certain items. You can also set up a time for training or where you can be available for your team to ask any questions.
Change Your Thought Process
Delegating or having your team help you with tasks doesn’t mean you’re not a good employee. It actually means you’re a great one! Delegating shows that you can be a team player. By delegating some of your work, you’re helping your team grow and improve together.
Plus, you’re showing your team that you trust them to do the work and get it done on time and correctly. You’re not dumping work onto their plates just because you don’t want to do it. You’re delegating tasks that will help you focus your efforts and time on other things, and also giving them an opportunity to learn and grow internally and with the company.
Next Steps
Being a perfectionist may seem like a great thing, especially in your career, but it can be overwhelming if you don’t allow others to help you. You can’t possibly work on everything without any help. That’s too much for one person to handle, even with your qualities. Learn more about Anxiety Counseling here.
Asking for help isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it actually shows how strong you are. If you’re needing a little extra help with learning how to let go, reach out to me today to set up a consultation.
