The curse of perfectionism
In essence, my life is governed by a set of principles – an algorithm – that continuously searches for the maximum level of efficiency capable with the smallest expenditure of resources possible. No, it is not an excuse for laziness; on the contrary, it is a formula that is used to gather data on the efficacy of my actions. Sounds crazy? I know.
I am not the only one in pursuit of an unattainable ideal, there are many of us out there in the wild, blending in as chameleons would in their surroundings. We have mastered the emulation of ordinary, understood the driving forces behind productivity, and painstakingly cloak the depth of our effort behind what our colleagues witness. It is not of shame nor elitism, but derived from the thought that our effort mustn’t be seen; that our work isn’t done when others are satisfied, but when we are.
The truth in numbers
Pareto Principle
- 20% of effort produces 80% results.
The Pareto Principle is not a secret, however, the productivity yield behind attaining perfection using the Pareto Principle is eye-opening, and yet, never discussed.
If I allocate two hours (20%) of my time to writing, it will provide 80% results; far from perfect, but perfect is what we want need. What does it take to reach 100%? Obviously, that next 20%, however in order to achieve perfection it will require an additional 80% (8 hours) of your time. As such, the additional results needed are sixteen times more costly than the initial effort. As you can imagine, my natural deployed efficacy algorithm is blaring its alarm.
So, in order to achieve (some level) of perfection while simultaneously catering to my intuitive efficacy meter I settled on the attainment of a degree of perfection, not absolute perfection. It may seem that this bending of actuality is a compromise to the standard of excellence, but rather, it enables excellent performance and increased results (my algorithm can live happily). And I can breath a sigh of relief.
Epilogue
Victory favors the prepared
INTJs play to win – and I still do, but I understand that self-flagellation is detrimental to the success of a task, and while I continue to nit-pick (stress) I do so to a lesser degree. It is also necessary to emphasis the importance of preparation as it is often the integral part of achieving a goal.
Know what you want and strive ruthlessly to attain it, period.
Intp x Intj 