As I mentioned yesterday in my podcast intro, I’m forgoing the usual weekend introduction and just diving right in. This weekend, I’m doing a couple of shorter episodes that can help you with practical aspects of your writing.

On today’s post, I’d love to dive into the topic of perfectionism. This is an area where so many writers struggle. We have this ideal of what we should be writing, or the kind of success we should be having, and then we get stuck because it seems unattainable.

I used to struggle with this a lot more. Honestly, when I started doing a daily podcast, and when I started doing more client work, this tendency went away simply because I had to create on demand. There wasn’t really time to sit and analyze my writing to death. I had to get it in shape, then get it out the door and move on to the next thing.

I want to share the most helpful way that I started to beat perfectionism. I started making it my goal to produce B-level work in everything I did. I think it was the author Sean McCabe who I once heard say, “Your 90% is everyone else’s 100%.” There is a lot of wisdom in that approach because, if you’re a perfectionist, your standards are so high that almost no one can achieve them. So, if you just shoot for 90%, everyone else will perceive that as 100%.

This was immensely helpful to me, and I translated this concept into a grading metaphor since I was a teacher for a long time.

So how does this apply in real life? It just means that you get your work to the level that is a solid B+. What does that mean specifically? Well, it depends on your perception of what a B+ is, the type of work you’re doing, and so forth.

If you’re a heart surgeon, a B+ won’t cut it because you have to be perfect. But we’re talking about writing, not heart surgery. The way this applies to me is that when I create material for my podcast or a book, I get it to a level where I think, “Yeah, that’s pretty good and will help someone.”

I don’t spend excessive time wordsmithing things. I don’t obsess over every word. I make sure it’s clear and has some kind of practical application. And, of course, I make sure there are as few grammar and spelling errors as possible. And when it comes to client work or paid products like books, of course, I bring in editors and sometimes beta readers for more support.

Perfectionism is not about the reader you’re serving, it’s about you. If you’re obsessed with perfection to the point where you can’t create, that’s a very self-centered approach to your work. Start focusing on the reader and the people you are trying to help. Get your work to a B+ level and then ship it.

When you obsessively focus on trying to help people instead of obsessing over what people think of you, you will enjoy writing a lot more and be far more productive.