Perfectionism (CF critique)

Perfectionism is the drive to do things perfectly — without errors, without flaws. CF critiques it as a form of overreach that paradoxically increases errors.

Why perfectionism is bad

• Error rate exceeds correction rate. You demand too much.
• Procrastination. You don't start because you can't be perfect.
• Emotional cost. Stress, shame, anxiety.
• No progress. Perfectionism blocks output.

Why perfectionism feels right

• Cultural pressure. "Try harder" is the default advice.
• Visible errors hurt. They feel like failures.
• Some domains reward it. Crafts, surgeries.
• Identity. "I'm the kind of person who does it right."

CF's recommendation

• Aim for non-refuted plans. Not perfection.
• Set realistic breakpoints. Pass/fail, not flawless.
• Accept errors as routine. They're how you learn.
• Watch for overreach. Perfectionism is overreach by definition.

What replaces perfectionism

• High standards without perfection. "Good enough to learn from."
• Iteration. Better this time than last time.
• Paths Forward for feedback.
• deliberate-practice for skill.
• Postmortems for failure analysis.

Anti-patterns

• Equating self-worth with output quality. They're separate.
• Refusing to start. "I can't do it perfectly, so I won't do it."
• All-or-nothing thinking. Either perfect or failed.
• overthinking. Endless revision that doesn't help.

"Overthinking and Perfectionism" is a CF essay title. — criticalfallibilism.com