Is Perfectionism Burning You Out? 5 Signs to Have on Your Radar?

Are you a perfectionist? If so, you’re in good company: 92% of professional leaders see their work impacted by perfectionistic tendencies, according to 2022 research by The Hardin Group. Meanwhile, 99% of accountants surveyed by FloQast say they have experienced or are experiencing burnout. Let’s consider how perfectionism may be contributing to this.

We can’t easily control external factors, such as the profession’s pipeline deficit, intense tax demands and busy seasons. However, perfectionism is something we do have control over, and it’s not to be dismissed or overlooked. When driven to perfection, accountants work even longer hours and feel overly self-critical.

Perfectionistic tendencies often hide in plain sight. Kathy, a client and self-proclaimed perfectionist, grew up watching her father work long hours. Kathy’s mother overly praised her when her report cards came home with As. Naturally, Kathy found satisfaction in hard work and was driven by external accolades. She craved work-life balance, couldn’t find time for focused work and perfectionistic ideals had taken over. Kathy was contemplating a job search because she lost her excitement for work.

5 Common Signs of Perfectionism  

• Difficulty delegating: The typical response when leaders are challenged to delegate more is “It’s just easier to do it myself.”  Perfectionists would rather see the project done the right way, or their way, instead of risking the time, energy or hassle of training someone.
• Inability to say: Some of the reasons it’s hard for folks to say no include childhood conditioning, conflict avoidance and career ambition. Typically, a perfectionist wants to meet or exceed the expectations they believe others have of them. The best way to do that in their minds? Don’t disappoint others by saying no. Better yet? Go above and beyond to make everyone happy.
• Delayed project timelines: A colleague shared his past perfectionist tendencies, “I reviewed and rewrote emails 10 to 12 times before sending. Now, I just review them once or twice.” Another colleague recently shared her frustration about a co-worker. While collaborating on an internal project, her co-worker continued to revise a work project four months after the agreed-upon deadline. Perfectionism doesn’t have perspective.
• Procrastination: Since perfectionists worry they can’t achieve the high standards they set for themselves, they’ll often put off starting something if they don t have enough time or resources to get it done. This only creates more overwhelm and stress. 

• Seeing yourself as flawed: While you may call yourself a perfectionist, your inner dialogue is self-critical and reminds you that you’ll never be perfect. No one can achieve perfection. Perfectionists often feel like failures for not doing enough.

3 Steps to Take

• Recognize that it’s an inside job. Perfectionism has a hold on people because of how they value and see themselves. Challenge how you define competence. Can you create a new standard for yourself?

• Start with one area or project. Pick one area of your work to experiment with letting go of perfectionistic tendencies. Find a project you can delegate or reduce the time and reiterations you spend on the work product.

• Explore a third way. For many perfectionists, things are either black or white, perfect or failure. Could there be a completely different approach? It’s likely the approach that incorporates your standards and values, instead of the standards you think you should have.