How to stop perfectionism in your content creating
Perfectionism can be the driver stopping you from consistent content...
Of course, don't get me wrong. It is good to have pride in your work. To want to create content or deliver to your audience in a way that is high quality and of value, BUT, when does the need for your content to be "perfect" stop you from showing up and creating?
You may not even know it, but your inner perfectionist is holding you back from doing the things you want to do and avoiding stress along the way! Although being a perfectionist isn't always a bad thing, there are so many reasons why letting go of that over-control can really free up your time and energy.
That’s why we wanted to focus on all things perfectionism, procrastination, and overcoming the perfectionist mindset!
Why perfectionism is holding you back
Over the time I have spent working with different people, I have noticed one thing about that ‘perfectionist mindset’ that really holds clients back from committing to their content and showing up for their audience!
Perfectionism leads to procrastination. It stops creators from hitting “send” or “post”. It stops us from launching and it can really take its toll on our business.
One client I had in particular shows a perfect example of this, let me share that with you.
When I first started in my business one of my very first clients was a pub in my local town. When I initially went to meet with the pub owner, we were talking about content and I suggested getting some video footage of the pub when it was busy - gotta get those real-time shots!
The pub owner thought it was a great idea and while he had a great video camera to use, he didn't want to shoot any footage until he learnt how to use it and edit properly. Although the footage would've been awesome, it was a level of perfectionism he was striving for that was holding us back from creating!
We had to take a step back and I asked him what he truly wanted to create from this pub and what the purpose of the content was. If he wanted to showcase the place as an a la carte restaurant then of course, very refined video and photos would be beautiful, but something like that for the environment he wanted to create simply didn't align.
If we're striving to make the most perfect content all the time and spending hours on reels, stories, or posts, at the end of the day we aren't really teaching our audiences how to get it done
That’s why at Content Queen we like to get content out there that we love and try to avoid holding the perfectionist mindset. We want to show people how easy it can be to create content that is still amazing whilst not wasting unnecessary time trying to be perfect.
I’m not the only one to experience this type of perfectionism. One of my closest friends @leeanneprytherch has a story about this too!
Lee-Anne was planning to relaunch her podcast, everything was set to go except one element. A song. She couldn't find the ‘perfect’ song, so the procrastination started to set in. She felt like she couldn't launch this content until we found the perfect music to suit the podcast, so it helped her back until we did find something.
See how perfectionism can turn into procrastination and ultimately stop you from posting, launching, and creating your awesome content? That’s why we have to ditch that mindset and switch it to focus on creating content you LOVE but won’t take you unnecessary time to commit to.
What are the types of perfectionism?
Yep, did you know that there are different types of perfectionism?
In a blog over on my dear friend, Laetitia’s, page (@essential.shift on IG) she clearly explains the 3 types of perfectionism that are seen in people day-to-day. If you’d like to check out her blog, click here!
Let me share them with you, and you can see if you fit under any of these categories. It would be so interesting to know!
Self-oriented perfectionism: This is when we hold things to a high standard which is related to greater work productivity and success.
Some thoughts that might cross your mind are: “I try to be as perfect as I can be”, “I feel uneasy when I see errors in my work”, “I must work to my maximum all the time” “I have very high standards for myself”.
Other-oriented perfectionism: This is when we hold others to a high standard and think being judgmental and critical of others is the norm’.
Some thoughts you may have could be: “I don’t work with people who won’t strive to be the best”, “I can’t stand it when people make mistakes”, “When I ask people to do things, I expect perfection”.
Socially prescribed perfectionism: This is when we are driven by the pressure to be perfect.
Thoughts you may experience: “I find it difficult to meet the expectations of others”, “THe people around me are good at everything and I am not”, “I feel people put too much pressure on me”, “My family expects so much”.
There are levels to perfectionism and different origins of where they stem from. If you can narrow down on what type you may be, then you can slowly begin to realise the cause and work on it for yourself. Every little step towards stopping your perfectionist mindset from taking over is an awesome step for you, your content, and your business!
Why you need to stop perfectionism
Test, trial, and measure have really been the theme of my business...
To be honest - it might always be! If I was focused on perfectionism, the test, trial, and measure stages of my business wouldn't be as strongly established - and without these, how are you supposed to learn and grow?
When I first started I was the definition of 'throw spaghetti at the wall and see what ‘sticks' (but isn't that what life is?). We are pretty much all just living life trying to work out what the hell is going on, let's be real.
So for most of 2019, it was all about setting the foundations of business. It was about creating the content channels, starting the email list, creating a podcast, and really working as a freelance writer.
Then I progressed into retainers. I progressed into generating more consistent income in 2020 where I had clients that needed ongoing work.
In the middle of last year, I started making a shift into the mentoring and educational space. I launched Content Bootcamp, a 10-day program. I launched Cash in your Content, an 8-week program. I tried to launch 1:1 mentoring. I worked out what I loved and what I didn't love about all those offers, nothing was ever a failure even If they didn't perform as well as I wanted them to.
All of these offers have gotten me closer and closer to the offerings and services I want to provide. I love building community, I love teaching but I also love being hands on and creating.
If I had let my perfectionist mindset hold me back, who knows that any of this would have even happened. I am so grateful that I can be multi-passionate with nothing to hold me back, and that’s the level I want to see my clients and their businesses at.
I know that if I didn't try all those group programs and mentoring offers, I wouldn't have learnt what I love to do. I love mentoring other freelancers. I love telling stories for other business owners. I love teaching people how they can easily market their business.
Perfectionism would have stopped me from taking on these opportunities and doing the test, trial, and measure. Imagine missing out on all of that learning and growing?!
How to stop perfectionism?
So now that we have acknowledged perfection and realised the potential you could have when you move past it - how exactly do you stop perfectionism??
Well, here are our top tips to conquer and move past that mindset!
Stay in your zone of genius
Remember progress over perfectionist
This new way of thinking is a habit, so you can’t rush it
Reframe your goals and values - don’t ditch them
Ask yourself “how can my content get me to where I want to be?”
Looking at the statistics, analytics, and numbers on your page to judge what to focus your time and energy on
Setting a 20 min timer to get shit done. If you want to learn more about this, click here
Know the right channels for you to show up on for your business
Final thoughts
Through my experience in coaching and being an entrepreneur myself, I've found that in this world of entrepreneurs we really have to drop that perfectionism and allow ourselves to just get stuff done.
Remember that the most important thing is making sure your values and how you want your brand to be seen are aligned with the content you want to create - not how perfect your content can be.
The amount of hours you put into something doesn't always reflect the results, so really make sure you’re testing, trialing, and measuring to see what the best areas are to focus on in your business, show up for your audience and spend time doing the things you love! Realise that it's okay to not be perfect all the time!
If you need helping moving past perfection, The Content Queen membership is all about this. It encourages people to ditch perfectionism and procrastination and just get started! Join the waitlist here for more wisdom and tips to get you creating content and not letting perfectionism stop you.