Feedback thoughts: Shaking perfectionist tendencies
My internships and other experience with journalism means I'm pretty comfortable giving and receiving feedback, but feedback that's not constructive or particularly biting still stings.
I read 6 Bad Mental Habits That Sabotage Your Success and 14 Signs Your Perfectionism Has Gotten Out Of Control, and both of them gave me good insight into avoiding negative self-perception. I don't usually consider myself a perfectionist, because I know I'm not perfect and I'm increasingly comfortable with making mistakes and trying things that might not work. But I was surprised to see myself identifying with so many of the "signs" that of out-of-control perfectionism.
In particular, I thought the point about guilt in the perfectionism article was especially relevant. I feel guilty a lot — I tend to over-commit myself, saying yes to a lot of things, but I also want to be healthy and happy and spend time with friends apart from work or school. But when it doesn't feel like there are enough hours in the day to jam everything in, I feel guilty about doing anything that's not work or school. I know those are unhealthy thoughts, though, and I know I'm not expected to work every minute I'm awake. I think learning to set more realistic goals for what I can accomplish in a day will help me move past those perfectionist tendencies.
About feedback: I have a hard time with feedback that's not specific enough about how I can do better. When I just hear that I'm not doing something right or not well enough, I get frustrated if it's not immediately clear what I need to fix. I appreciate feedback that's honest and detailed, so I either know the best way to revise work I've done or I know how to do something better the next time.
I read 6 Bad Mental Habits That Sabotage Your Success and 14 Signs Your Perfectionism Has Gotten Out Of Control, and both of them gave me good insight into avoiding negative self-perception. I don't usually consider myself a perfectionist, because I know I'm not perfect and I'm increasingly comfortable with making mistakes and trying things that might not work. But I was surprised to see myself identifying with so many of the "signs" that of out-of-control perfectionism.
In particular, I thought the point about guilt in the perfectionism article was especially relevant. I feel guilty a lot — I tend to over-commit myself, saying yes to a lot of things, but I also want to be healthy and happy and spend time with friends apart from work or school. But when it doesn't feel like there are enough hours in the day to jam everything in, I feel guilty about doing anything that's not work or school. I know those are unhealthy thoughts, though, and I know I'm not expected to work every minute I'm awake. I think learning to set more realistic goals for what I can accomplish in a day will help me move past those perfectionist tendencies.
About feedback: I have a hard time with feedback that's not specific enough about how I can do better. When I just hear that I'm not doing something right or not well enough, I get frustrated if it's not immediately clear what I need to fix. I appreciate feedback that's honest and detailed, so I either know the best way to revise work I've done or I know how to do something better the next time.
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| "Feedback is your cue to rethink and revise." Source: Growth Mindset Memes. |
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