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Nobody's Perfect Don't confuse being "perfect" with being organized. Reconcile your skills and your priorities.

By Lisa Kanarek

Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.

Do you take perfectionism too far? Do you work hard each daywith minimal results? If so, you may be focusing on doing thingsright instead of doing the right things. There are four ways todetermine whether your perfectionism is getting in the way of yourproductivity:

  • Are you spending a majority of your time on top priority items?Perfectionists often focus on tasks they're able to doperfectly, while ignoring those they don't do as well, even ifthose tasks are more important. You'll increase yourproductivity if you handle top priorities, no matter what yourstrengths are.
  • Are you willing to delegate, or do you always consider yourselfthe best person for the job? As your business increases, thedemands on your time will increase proportionately. Instead ofhandling everything yourself, consider using freelancers or addingan employee. Someone with more experience in a certain area canhelp you balance your strengths and improve your business.
  • Are you being blinded by your perfectionism? You may be doingthings well but also spending an inordinate amount of time workingon them because they aren't perfect. There's nothing wrongwith striving for perfection. However, it does become a problemwhen your quest for perfection affects the quality and quantity ofthe work you produce.
  • Are you constantly jumping from project to project, withoutaccomplishing anything? Perfectionists often move from task to taskbecause they feel they can handle everything that crosses theirdesks. A perfectionist's jumping act is fueled by countlessinterruptions from others. The way to take control over these"time stealers" is by focusing on one project at a time.If you can't complete it, get to a point where you can stop andeasily resume work at a later time. Move on to the next projectafter that.

Lisa Kanarek (http://www.everythingsorganized.com)is a home office organizing expert and author of several books,including Organizing Your Home Office For Success (BlakelyPress) and 101 Home Office Success Secrets (CareerPress).

Brother home office expert Lisa Kanarek advises corporations and individuals on all aspects of working from home and writes the blog Working Naked. She is the author of several books, including Working Naked: A guide to the bare essentials of home office life.

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