Is there a link between procrastination and perfectionism?
That’s a great question and one that researchers have asked to. In my last video, I talked about the three different types of perfectionism, and one of them was called socially prescribed perfectionism. That’s when we internalize the standards of others, and try to live up to perceived expectations.
When you are thinking about something you want, and you have socially prescribed perfectionism, you’re not 100% focused on going after that activity and giving it your best, because in the back of your mind, you’re thinking about what other people might think of you performing that task. So you hold yourself back and you dabble around the edges
and you start to resist making progress because you’re internally worrying about what other people might think of you.
If you have socially prescribed perfectionism, you’re highly likely to be a chronic procrastinator.