What I did to overcome perfectionism

7 powerful mindset shifts to get more things done.

Welcome to issue #006 of The Creator-Educator Club. Every Sunday, I send proven strategies from top creator-educators to help you build a high-impact email course so you can scale your knowledge business faster. Subscribe below so you won’t miss the next issues.

This issue is presented by: Email Course Blueprint

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I once posted a question to my audience asking what their biggest bottleneck is when it comes to building and launching a digital product.

One response stood out to me:

“Avoiding the perfection trap.”

This reminded me of how I used to struggle so badly with perfectionism.

Earlier in my journey, I often found myself stuck in the loop of:

• Inaction

• Overplanning

• Procrastination

Getting anything out in front of my audience was a huge challenge for me, let alone launching a product of my own.

But now?

Getting things done (imperfectly) has become my second nature. And this wouldn’t be possible without some critical mindset shifts I made along the way.

That’s why today I want to share my lessons learnt on how I overcame perfectionism (and I hope it will help you too):

7 powerful mindset shifts to get more things done

1. Accept that perfection doesn’t exist

Nobody can ever be 100% perfect.

Not even your favourite creator-educators who are at the top of their niche. They still make mistakes from time to time just like you and me.

Once you accept this truth, making progress becomes so much easier. You’ll stop obsessing over small errors that don’t actually matter.

The goal isn’t perfection. It’s progress.

Aim for good enough and keep moving.

2. Define what perfect means

One reason you fall for the perfection trap is unrealistic expectations.

When you don’t have a clear target, you’ll end up tweaking and making improvements to your work forever.

So, take a moment to ask yourself what perfect looks like.

Define it based on the output you can control rather than the outcome you can't.

Let’s say you’re building an email course.

What you can control is the quality of your course content. What you can’t control is the number of people who sign up.

Having a crystal clear definition keeps you focused and helps you stop when you’ve reached your goal.

3. Give yourself permission to fail

Fear of failure is at the heart of perfectionism.

It’s what stops you from taking action even when you know it’s the next step you need.

But here’s the thing.

Failure is normal and everyone has to go through it. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s part of the process.

So instead of avoiding it completely, seek it as much as possible. Treat your mistakes as stepping stones towards your success.

Because failure isn’t the opposite of progress, it’s how you get there.

4. Stop overplanning

Spending time to come up with the best strategy might feel productive.

But more often than not, overplanning is just procrastination in disguise.

It’s a sign that you’re afraid to make progress.

You might feel good about your direction for a short moment. But without action, you’re getting nowhere.

Yes, it’s important to have a plan, but give yourself a time limit on this. Nail down your initial direction, and then start moving.

Don’t get ready, get started.

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5. Use the 80/20 rule

Here’s what the rule says:

The majority of your results (80%) come from very few of your efforts (20%).

In other words, work smarter, not harder:

• Focus on tasks that move the needle

• Prioritise them by importance

• Know when to stop

These will keep you focused on producing the actual output that matters and get you over the finish line.

Do less and you’ll achieve more.

6. Respect your deadlines

Deadlines aren’t just dates. They’re constraints that keep you moving.

When I was building my email course, I set deadlines for each email and even for each section within an email. And I make them non-negotiable.

Next thing I know?

I was more than halfway done. I kept making progress even when self-doubt crept in.

Set achievable deadlines and commit to hitting them no matter what.

7. Break large tasks into smaller chunks

Big tasks feel overwhelming.

Your brain hates the idea of tackling something massive so you end up putting it off.

That’s why breaking tasks into smaller batches works so well.

Take me for example, I treat each newsletter I write as a collection of small sections that work together.

Each completed section feels like a small win to me. They keep me going.

It’s those wins that will compound and keep you going until the finish line.

Final words

Perfectionism doesn’t have to hold you back anymore.

By changing how you think with these powerful mindset shifts, I’m sure you’ll overcome it in no time.

Remember, the goal is not perfection. It’s progress.

Aim for that.

See you next Sunday,

Beer

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If you have any thoughts, questions, or feedback, feel free to drop them in the comments.

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Whenever you’re ready, here are 2 ways I can help you:

• Join Email Course Blueprint, a free 5-day email course that teaches you step-by-step how to build an engaging email course from scratch

• Book my 1:1 consulting call, where I can give you specific, personalised advice on building an email course that’s tailored to your knowledge business

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