But here’s the brutal truth:

Perfectionism is killing your output — and it’s probably killing your joy too.

It’s not discipline.
It’s not excellence.
It’s fear. Disguised. Rationalised. Normalised.

And if you don’t learn to break it, it will break you.

Let’s Call It What It Really Is

Perfectionism is NOT the pursuit of excellence.

People who pursue excellence:

• Ship early and often
• Learn as they go
• Course correct in real time
• Value momentum over polish

Perfectionists:

• Obsess over details that don’t matter
• Delay decisions
• Sit on finished work for weeks
• Avoid sharing until it’s bulletproof
• End up doing nothing, all in the name of “getting it right”

It’s procrastination with better branding.

And worse? It often masquerades as “I care more than others.”

Bullshit.

You’re not refining — you’re hiding.

Perfectionism Is a Form of Control

If it’s perfect, nobody can criticise it.
If it’s perfect, nobody can judge you.
If it’s perfect, you stay safe.

Except… it never is.
You never feel ready.
You never feel done.
And the work you’re sitting on? It dies in draft.

Perfectionism is a clever way to protect your ego from the risk of exposure.

But in doing so, it costs you:

• Progress
• Output
• Energy
• Confidence
• Opportunities
• Growth

It’s not protecting you.
It’s robbing you.

The Hidden Cost of “High Standards”

You think you’re raising the bar.

But here’s what you’re actually doing:

• Delaying launches that could bring in revenue
• Holding back content that could build trust
• Burning hours on things no one notices
• Ignoring the 80% that creates 100% of your results
• Reinforcing a toxic belief that done = dangerous

And if you’re a leader?

You’re setting the tone.

Your team starts to believe that nothing is ever good enough — which leads to analysis paralysis, missed deadlines, and a culture of fear-driven output.

I Know Because I’ve Lived It

I’ve wasted years perfecting things that should have been shipped after draft two.

Blog posts. Products. Emails. Business ideas. Courses.

And every time I waited for perfection?

• Someone else launched first
• The opportunity passed
• The motivation faded
• The momentum died

I used to think, “If I just work a bit harder, I’ll get it just right.”

What a load of bollocks.

It was never about the work.
It was about me — my fears, my insecurities, my obsession with being bulletproof.

DROP is the system I built to pull myself out of that hell.

How the DROP Framework Wrecks Perfectionism (In the Best Way)

DROP isn’t a time management system — it’s a reality check that keeps perfectionism in its place.

DUMP — Expose the Pressure You’re Carrying

Perfectionists often carry an invisible load of “shoulds”:

• “This should be better.”
• “I should know this already.”
• “I should redo it from scratch.”

Dumping those thoughts into your system lets you see just how much nonsense you’re carrying around.

When it’s on the page instead of in your head, it stops having power over you.

REVIEW — Question the Obsession

Once it’s dumped, DROP forces you to review your tasks and ask:

• “Is this actually important?”
• “Does this need to be perfect — or just done?”
• “Am I refining, or am I avoiding?”
• “What’s the cost of NOT shipping this?”

This is where perfectionism starts to unravel — not with motivation, but with awareness.

Because when you actually sit with your behaviour, it becomes painfully obvious how much energy you’re wasting.

OFFLOAD — Cut the Crap

You’re not supposed to do it all. And certainly not to a flawless standard.

DROP gives you permission to:

• Delete things that don’t move the needle
• Delegate tasks where your perfectionism slows progress
• Defang the monster by splitting big “perfect” projects into small, shippable chunks

The more you offload the low-value noise, the more your brain gets used to progress > perfection.

PLAN — Prioritise Shipping Over Polishing

You don’t get paid for your intentions.
You get paid for delivery.

The PLAN phase of DROP focuses your week around:

• High-impact tasks
• Clear deadlines
• Realistic execution
• Momentum, not mental masturbation

You can build in time for review, but the goal is always the same:

Ship it. Share it. Learn. Improve. Repeat.

That’s how output compounds.
That’s how confidence grows.
That’s how perfectionism dies.

Want to Know the Most Productive People on Earth?

They’re not the perfectionists.

They’re the ones who publish.

Who iterate.
Who launch fast and fix later.
Who build feedback loops, not fantasy drafts.
Who measure impact — not polish.

These people don’t aim for 100%.
They aim for 80% done, delivered, and refined in the real world.

DROP was built to help you become that person.

Not by lowering standards.
But by focusing on the right ones.

Your Work Will Never Be Perfect — And That’s the Point

There is no perfect email.
No perfect course.
No perfect product.
No perfect brand.
No perfect week.

If you wait for it, you’ll wait forever.

The people winning are the ones who decided done was good enough to start with — and improved over time.

That’s the power of the DROP rhythm.
It creates a weekly habit of releasing. Of resetting. Of refining.

Perfectionism is loud.
DROP is louder.

Buy the book:
Control Your Time or Stay Stuck: You Choose — It’s not about time. It’s about what’s stopping you from using it. Learn how to beat perfectionism and build momentum with DROP.

Join the DROP System training:
If you’re sick of sitting on work that should have changed your life by now, join the training and learn the framework that makes perfection optional — and action inevitable.