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This is Part 3 of a 3 part series on how to avoid playing life on "Expert+ Mode"
“Go big or go home.”
“Anything worth doing is worth doing well.”
“Give 110%.”
These idioms are common and I think most people believe them to be good advice. But does every activity really deserve our best? The impossibly high bar from an all-or-nothing attitude drives anxiety-driven procrastination.
The Burden of Inaction
The Burden of Inaction
High-achievers are particularly prone to perfectionism and all-or-nothing behaviors. These tendencies are often longstanding and proved their value over the years. However, when we are exhausted and driven primarily by fear of failure, we eventually run out of motivation to start new things. We start to safeguard our energy by refusing to risk failure (Yosopov et al). The tasks that we don’t start then pile up to create a burden of inaction. The weight of what we aren't doing becomes heavier than the work itself.
Selective Excellence
Selective Excellence
The first step is a radical reframe (Goulet-Pelletier et al). Does this activity actually deserve my best effort or will good enough suffice?
Delivery of patient care? Deserves excellence.
Clinical notes and returning administrative emails? Good enough is enough.
Family dinner at home? Deserves effort to provide a nutritious, homemade meal (most nights!).
Hosting a large social gathering? Buying premade food is good enough and preserves energy to focus on the guests.
Once you lower the bar for non-essential tasks, you create the space to build momentum. I’ve applied this to my home: my bathroom doesn’t need deep cleaning every week, but a quick disinfectant wipe on the handles, faucets, and toilet seat keeps everyone healthy. It's an imperfect action which maintains the system without draining my battery.
Simplifying the System
Simplifying the System
The billion dollar self-help industry promises productivity hacks and quick-fixes. “If I can just get the right system in place, I’ll get everything done.” But the reality is simple but not easy: we have too many things that we want to do.
Accepting the limitation of time forces us to identify true priorities. Taking things off our list reduces the burden of inaction, creating space to start moving. To use that space, identifying and taking an insultingly small step is imperative. A step that feels ridiculously simple bypasses the brain's fear response. Continuing to take tiny, practical forward steps creates momentum.
Momentum Over Perfection
Momentum Over Perfection
As an entrepreneur, self-motivation has become a significant challenge for me, since I determine all of the expectations and deadlines. When I feel scattered or paralyzed by the fear of failure, I use a three-step reset:
The Done List: I make a list of everything I've already completed, which creates a psychological surge of momentum. I recently saw this being called a "Ta Da" list, which feels very appropriate.
The Mantra: I remind myself that imperfect action is far more productive than no action.
The Next Tiny Step: I identify the next one small thing to move forward. This is not a plan for completion, only the next step.
We move faster and farther when we lower the bar as a final strategy to avoid playing life on "Expert+ Mode".
References:
Lital Yosopov, Donald Saklofske. Paul Hewett.
Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment. May 6, 2024. Volume 42, Issue 6.
Investigating the negative link between perfectionism and emotional divergent thinking.
Jean-Christophe Goulet-Pelletier. Marie-France Beaudin. Denis Cousineau.
Discover Psychology. February 24, 2025. Volume 5, article 9.
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