Are you a Content Perfectionist?
Are you a content perfectionist?
Have you ever found yourself stuck in the perfectionism trap, endlessly tweaking your content until it's "just right"?
Understanding Content Perfectionism:
You know what’s frustrating, you're making a reel, and you end up doing 20 takes of a single clip because it just wasn't quite right?
You spend hours editing a video to get the right music and text.
How about re-recording your podcast because you forgot to include something?
Is it taking you 3 hours to write a blog rather than 30 minutes?
You may be a Content Perfectionist
Content perfectionism is a desire to create flawless content, which might be fuelled by a hidden fear of criticism or failure. You may spend excessive amounts of time tweaking and refining your work, in pursuit of an unattainable “perfect” standard.
How does it differ from striving for excellence?
A high achiever may set the bar high and have massive goals, which they continuously improve to get there.
A Content Perfectionist however may have excessively high personal standards and be overly critical of themselves and their work.
They might fixate on getting rid of any perceived flaw, feel anxious about publishing something, or redo something over and over, which can come at the expense of productivity and the impact they can have on helping others.
A high achiever may be satisfied with getting something done, whereas a perfectionist may spot mistakes and imperfections.
Signs You Might Be a Content Perfectionist:
- You spend hours agonising over minor details, and worry if you should press share on that Instagram story.
- You hesitate to hit that "publish" button because your content doesn't look as polished as you'd like.
- You find yourself re-recording your podcast multiple times because you're convinced the message isn't clear enough.
- What should have been a quick blog post ends up taking you three times as long because you can't stop nitpicking every word.
Perfectionism is the ultimate productivity killer
It's the reason why you spend hours on a single task, only to end up with nothing to show for it. It's that nagging voice in your head that tells you your content isn't good enough, so why bother even trying? Content perfectionism can also have an impact on your wellbeing if you have a constant feeling of stress and anxiety about creating content, the fear of not measuring up, the relentless self-criticism that eats away at your confidence.
What is fear of failure costing you
- You may avoid taking risks or trying new things
- You may emulate others and not show the real you.
- You could be suppressing your creative potential.
- You don’t help people because you didn’t share information about your product, course or service.
Overcoming Content Perfectionism
Awareness: If you recognise patterns of being a content perfectionist, start by setting goals e.g today I am sharing an instagram story and I am only allowed no more than 3 takes.
Embracing imperfection: Give yourself permission to be authentically YOU. People love it when you show up as the real you. Your “flaws” might the one thing that makes you memorable and that people love and about you.
Don’t expect a 10/10
Give yourself grace to make content that is only 50%, especially when you are learning a new skill. Then aim to level up to 70% rather than expect a 100%. The aim is to get it done and move on. Start small then level up. You didn’t fail, you are experimenting and practising.
As a content perfectionist, here are my 3 levels to managing my own mindset.
- DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT
- LEVEL UP
- NAIL IT AND MOVE ON
What other people think of me is none of my business
Creating video content can be one of the most confronting types of content to make. We worry about what old work colleagues or our family will think, we stress about “people” judging us. In reality, those "people” are more focused on themselves and may even feel inspired that you are showing up!
Instead focus on the one person you help and the impact you can have. This is why having an avatar in mind of your ideal customer is so important. If you need help with this check out my website resources to download your free guide.
Celebrate progress over perfection
BE kind to yourself remember when you first learnt to drive a car? You may have scrapped the wheels when reverse parking, yet you passed and got your licence!
So celebrate that this week you shared daily stories on instagram or released a podcast episode. The biggest impact will come when you join a community to encourage and support you.
Set time limits for tasks and takes
Allocate time for content creation and then a set timer to do the take such as to record the video or send the email. Remember “Done is better than perfect”!
Finding the balance between quality and productivity:
Focus on creating content that is meaningful and impactful, rather than obsessing over minor details. Strive for excellence, but don't let perfectionism get in the way of progress.
If you would like support to create content and encouragement to celebrate your wins.
CONTENT CATALYST is a member community where we learn and implement together. Support and cheer each other on. Where we get it done and then level up.
https://www.debszabo.com/membership
Listen to CONTENT CATALYST PODCAST EPISODE
https://www.debszabo.com/podcasts/content-catalyst
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