Stop to Continue
This, I find, generally works for any task you are trying to get done. Give it a try tonight after a day’s worth of work :)
The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day when you are writing a novel you will never be stuck. That is the most valuable thing I can tell you so try to remember it.
— Earnest Hemingway, October 1935 article in Esquire ( “Monologue to the Maestro: A High Seas Letter”)
Amazing! That is so true. My father, exasperated by my perfectionism that’d drain me, always used to tell me the same thing. It’s hard though when you’re a perfectionist, you think to ride on the wave of good feelings to do as much as possible, alas!
It’s been 2 years now, since my perfectionism recovery. Though it’s still there, lurking, I’ve put a cap on it; do whatever you want however you want, as long as you feel good about it. The minute I start thinking about how much I have left or whether I’ll make it, I stop whatever I’m doing and relax.
LikeLike
It has been a while, but finally my reply :) Thanks for sharing your views on this. I can very much relate! How did this perfectionism recovery come about?
LikeLike