1. The Perfectionism Trap We’ve all been there—setting a new goal or starting a project with the expectation of achieving 100% success. While this ambition might seem noble, it often leads to an overwhelming pressure that triggers anxiety rather than progress. We want everything to be perfect, but this very mindset traps us in a cycle of overthinking and fear.

2. Realism Meets Perfectionism As soon as we set these lofty expectations, realism kicks in. Our minds start calculating every possible challenge, and suddenly, what once felt exciting now feels impossible. Our brain interprets this as a threat, triggering a fear of failure. This fear stalls our progress, leaving us procrastinating rather than moving forward.

3. The Entropy of Perfection The problem with perfection is that it’s not a stable state. Entropy—the natural tendency of things to become disordered over time—makes sure of that. Even if you somehow reach a moment of perfection, time will erode it. Perfection isn’t static; it’s an ideal that keeps slipping away, like a horizon that stretches out the closer you get.

4. Perfection as the Limit of Infinity Perfection is less like a destination and more like the limit of infinity—an unattainable point we can only approach. Chasing it means forever falling short. This is where we need to redefine our expectations. Instead of aiming for 100% perfection from the start, we should aim for something more attainable.

5. Aim for 70%, and Build from There Here’s where the mindset shift comes in: rather than aiming for 100%, start by expecting 70%. Once you hit that 70%, you can improve it little by little, using feedback and iteration. This gradual process creates a loop of improvement, allowing you to refine your work over time, without the crushing pressure of trying to be perfect right away.

8. How the Educational System Blinded Us from the Feedback Loop

From a young age, the educational system teaches us to aim for 100%—to get the highest grade, to follow instructions perfectly, and to avoid mistakes at all costs. This conditioning primes us to think that success is binary: either you succeed completely or you fail. There’s little room for iteration or gradual improvement, and mistakes are penalized rather than embraced as learning opportunities. As a result, we lose sight of the feedback loop, which is essential for growth. Instead of being encouraged to learn from our errors and refine our work over time, we’re taught to fear imperfection, making us reluctant to even start something that might not be “perfect” from the outset. This mindset limits our potential, stifling creativity and progress in favor of unrealistic ideals.

6. The Feedback Loop: A Path to Progress Think of the feedback loop as the key to continuous improvement. Every time you refine that initial 70%, you get closer to the ideal—closer to what could be considered “perfect.” In reality, this iterative process mirrors the idea of perfection as an endless pursuit. You won’t ever fully arrive, but you’ll get better and better with each step.

7. Embrace Imperfection and Keep Moving Forward The beauty of this approach is that it frees you from the paralysis of perfectionism. By accepting that perfection isn’t achievable in a static form, and aiming instead for continuous progress, you become more productive and less afraid of failure. After all, it’s not about achieving a perfect outcome—it’s about always striving to improve.

9. The Pottery Experiment: Quantity vs. Quality

A famous experiment highlights how focusing on progress and repetition can lead to better results than the pursuit of perfection. An instructor divided a pottery class into two groups. One group was tasked with creating a single perfect pot (quality-focused), while the other was instructed to make 30 pots (quantity-focused). Interestingly, the group that made 30 pots produced better quality work by the end of the experiment. Through repetition, trial, and error, they improved with each pot, learning from their mistakes and refining their techniques. Meanwhile, the group aiming for a perfect pot became paralyzed by overthinking and ended up with a less polished result. This experiment illustrates the power of the feedback loop—how focusing on doing and improving can lead to excellence, while chasing perfection can lead to stagnation.

Perfectionism doesn’t have to be the barrier it so often becomes. Start with 70%, refine, and iterate. You’ll be surprised how much progress you make when you stop chasing the impossible and focus on getting better, one step at a time.