In the world of eLearning, a battle is brewing in the consciousness of a select few instructional designers—those who attempt to go the extra distance to ensure perfection but become obsessed with design flaws, consistency abnormalities, and technical glitches. No one is a bigger culprit in exhibiting these tendencies than yours truly. If you’re like me, you carry the perfectionist trait with you in your everyday life, outside of the eLearning, instructional design bubble. It’s simply an inherent attribute—often a shortcoming, a detour, an affliction, if you want to call it that.
Your colleagues and peers may label you a formalist, a fussbudget, a fusspot, an idealist, a nitpicker, a purist, a quibbler, or a stickler, to name a few. (Resource: Thesaurus.com) Perhaps the term “anal retentive” rings a bell; not really a world-class human brand identity. How little these folks know!
So, what is the real reason for our personal quest? It is our makeup; it is what we know; it is what we feel protects us from day to day. For us, seeking perfection is the compulsion to attain ultimate control over our environment, whether work oriented or personal. However, the sad reality is: the harder and faster we chase perfection, the more futile and unproductive it becomes. The thing is: we all want to achieve perfection; it’s knowing and identifying the appropriate time and place to strive for such a goal.
When it comes to our roles as instructional designers, we need to choose our battles carefully. Oftentimes, perfection in the workplace compromises critical deadlines and deliverables, as I have many times encountered, much to my chagrin. Being quality driven in this field is a highly constructive and valuable characteristic, but you have to remember the fine line between perfection in ensuring excellence and precision in the online learning experience and being a perfectionist, which can frequently lead to a myriad of headaches and a counterproductive work ethic.
Then, how can you prevent the hindrance of perfection? Well…it’s different for everyone. For me, it’s constantly reminding myself to keep the pace, move forward, and not dwell on and obsess over the miniscule details for hours on end. It’s forming an internal system of gradual behavior modification, and staying in check from one task to the next. Remember! The development process typically encompasses cyclical reviews by team associates, editorial and quality assurance staff, and stakeholders until final approval is received for official deployment. Fussing about only impedes progress and gets you nowhere.
And stress? Don’t get me started! Stress and panic are your worst enemies in this industry, or in any professional job for that matter. If it truly drives you to perform better, fine, you’re at the top of your game. But if it makes you sweat, forget it! It’s not worth it! Thinking you’re dictating outcomes by displaying frustration is positively exhausting. Take it from me! All we can do is be the best we can be by keeping a cool head and believing in our abilities as competent contributors to this field of online instructional design.
Don’t worry; you’re not the victim of some maniacal personality disorder. You are sane! I think! (Yes…this is your cue to laugh! Ha! Ha! Ha!) Have faith in yourself, take pride in your prowess, trust your quality instincts, and don’t doubt your integrity. Your intentions are there; you have a gift. Just stay focused, manage your time wisely, and follow through with commitments. A simple adaptation in behavior is the key to progress and meeting performance objectives. Efficiency, efficiency, efficiency!
And when all is said and done, stop and ask yourself this: is it the perfectionist in me, or is it me in the perfectionist? If you answer “yes” to the latter, you’ll know you’re being swallowed up and a change is in order. Don’t lose sight! Take the power back! Happy eLearning!
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