The trap of the perfectionist designer
It's 6:30 PM on a Tuesday. My deadline is the end of the day, and I've just spent the last 2 hours designing a fourth version of the same screen.
Even though the first three were completely fine.
I won’t leave the office until this screen is perfect.
This used to be my life.
I told myself it was because I cared about the ‘craft’, whatever that meant.
The truth is, I was actually hiding behind the badge of being a ‘perfectionist’ when, really, I was worried my design wouldn’t work. I was afraid it would fail. And what people would think.
My perfectionism wasn’t about quality.
It was about the fear of failure.
Today, I work on triple the number of projects in the same amount of time. And the work is better.
Not because I care less about quality, but because I stopped letting the fear of failure keep me from putting my work out there and shipping.
There were 3 big changes I made to get here…
Here’s how I killed my perfectionism:
1. "Done > Perfect" (The Sticky Note That Changed Everything)
I grabbed a sharpie and scribbled (done over perfect) on a post-it note and stuck it to the edge of my monitor.
Every time I’d catch myself aiming for perfection, I’d remind myself to focus on done over ‘quality’, which I know sounds counterintuitive…
But here’s the thing: every time I’ve reached the ‘done’ stage, I’ve always been really happy with the quality of work.
I learned that the gap between ‘done’ and ‘perfect’ is usually very small!
2. The 60% Rule (Permission to Be Human)
Here's the mental shift that unlocked everything for me:
I started aiming for 60% perfect.
When I aimed for 100%, the pressure was so intense that I didn't even want to start. The task felt unachievable at the level I'd built up in my mind. So I'd procrastinate.
But aiming for 60%?
That felt doable.
That took the pressure off.
And here's what happened: 90% of the time, my "60%" goal ended up resulting in work which was 85-90% quality anyway.
I'd been massively overestimating what "good enough" needed to be in my head, and this was paralysing me from taking action.
3. The Phase 2 Trick (Bargaining With Your Brain)
My perfectionist brain hates the thought of delivering something that isn’t 100%. So I found a workaround.
I tell myself: "This is Phase 1, we'll do Phase 2 next”.
Knowing there's a Phase 2 option puts my anxious mind at peace enough to finish Phase 1. I can finish the first version without the internal panic of "but what if it's going to end up crap?"
Funnily enough, Phase 2 almost never happens. Because Phase 1 is always good enough. But simply having the option of coming back to it later helps me get the task done in the first place.
Perfectionism is a sneaky little sh*t.
Even now, it sneaks up on me. I'll find myself spending two hours tweaking the slides for a design presentation. Or obsessing over the exact shade of grey for a button.
Like ten mins ago, I caught myself formatting this document for 10 mins before I realised I was aiming for perfect again and therefore procrastinating on finishing this newsletter 😂
You have to stay conscious, catch yourself, and ask: "Is this actually making it better, or am I just scared about failing and therefore procrastinating with finishing?”
Most of the time, it's fear.
Your turn
This week, I want you to pick one task you’re working on. Write either "aim for 60%" or "done over perfect" on a post-it note (whichever resonates with you more) and stick it where you can see it.
Then apply that mindset to your work, and observe how much more progress you make.
I can guarantee you, you’ll get much more done and faster.
P.S.
Send me picture of your post it note on instagram, I’d love to see if you decide to give it ago!
