Pass the P’s, Please

I’m a procrastinator at the office. It’s not that I’m lazy. I just fall victim to the 3 P’s. Here’s what happens:

P #1 – Perfection I want my work to be perfect. (And who doesn’t?)
P #2 – Procrastination I put off starting a project because I’m afraid I won’t be able to do it perfectly.
P #3 – Paralysis I can’t get past my reluctance to even begin the project. I’m stuck doing absolutely nothing about the project except worrying.

For obvious reasons, this is not good! Lucky for me I have an antidote to the 3 P’s. It’s the 3 A’s. This is how they work:

A #1 – Awareness I see that there’s a problem.
A #2 – Acceptance I understand that the problem is mine. It’s not that Beth gave me a stupid assignment or that my mom didn’t give me enough positive reinforcement when I was a kid. No matter what else is true, the reason my project isn’t getting done is because I’m not doing it.
A #3 – Action Temporarily shoving the fear of my own imperfection aside, I begin work on the project. I know I may have to alter or even trash my first attempt, but at least I’m not paralyzed.

Sounds simple, but the thought of goofing up can really be debilitating and those A’s are sometimes illusive. What helps me most is remembering that, for all the projects I’ve worked on during my 20+ years at EWM, I’ve never gotten into trouble because my initial attempts fell short of perfection.

About a week ago, Patty Payan posted a blog about the fears that prevent some EWM Associates from writing their own blogs. She said, “Who cares if you do it well at first?” I wanted to share my P’s and A’s with you the minute I read that, but it took me a week to get past the thought that my words have to be just right. Truth is, some of the most informative, fun and touching blogs have been those in which Associates revealed their imperfections.

You think I don’t know what’s next? After I post this I’ll have to fight the urge to go back in and edit — a comma here, a different phrase there. All in an attempt to appear perfect.

“Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.” Henry van Dyke