In this week’s newsletter:

• The brain science behind perfectionism
• Why perfectionism can feel rational and productive (even when it’s holding us back)
• A quick fix for when it’s slowing things down
• New articles on Substack to check out

Hi, it's Aine.

The other day, the AI platform I was working in told me my standards are too high and I have a problem with perfectionism (does it say this to everyone? 🤨).

I don't think of myself as a perfectionist, but I care about quality and I like to make sure I deliver value - and it does slow me down more than necessary sometimes.

It made me curious about what’s really behind “perfectionism” - here’s what I found...

What we call perfectionism is often error‑avoidance

Here’s one way to think about it -

High standards are about what we want the outcome to be.
Perfectionism is about what our brains do on the way there.

The pattern often looks like:

• Prediction – imagining how this will land and how others will respond
• Error monitoring – scanning for everything that could be off
• Threat response – treating those possible flaws as problems to avoid, not just details to refine

At a certain point, our systems tilt from “How can this be useful?” to “How do I make sure nothing is wrong?”

High standards can absolutely live alongside momentum. It’s the error‑avoidance piece that tends to slow things down.

In practice, that looks like moving slowly, second‑guessing, or endlessly tweaking. If that’s familiar, it can be a sign that your threat system is running hotter than it needs to - more “keep me safe” than “make this useful.”

Your brain on “it’s not ready yet”

A few brain regions are doing most of the work here:

• The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is your internal error detector. It’s always asking, “Is something off? Did we miss anything?” In a helpful range, it catches real issues. When it’s overactive, it flags almost everything.
• The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is your planner and optimizer. It loves to fix, re‑order, and polish. When the error detector is firing a lot, the PFC steps in to “solve” all of it before you move.
• The amygdala is tagging things as threat or not‑threat. If being wrong or visible has felt risky in the past, even small issues can get tagged as big.

Together, they create a familiar loop:

1. You draft something (email, article, sales page).
2. The error system over‑scans and finds a dozen things to adjust.
3. The threat system tags them as important to fix now.
4. The planning system decides you shouldn’t ship yet.
5. Time passes, the stakes feel higher, and the loop ramps up.

That sense of “it’s not quite ready yet” is often this loop and not an objective true measurement of the work.

It can feel really solid, though - sensible and careful, which is why it’s so convincing.

Why it feels productive (until it doesn’t)

Perfectionist patterns are often disguised as:

• being thoughtful
• paying attention to detail
• being strategic
• wanting to do it right

Of course those qualities matter. The issue is what happens after a certain point on the curve.

The first 50 - 70% of effort usually buys clarity, coherence, and solid quality.

The last 30 - 50% often buys tiny marginal gains at a much higher mental cost.

In practice, this looks like your brain serving up:

• one more sentence that could be a little tighter
• one more slide that could make your points a little clearer
• one more tweak that might “really land” with the just right person

That same error‑detection + threat loop is working hard behind the scenes.

You experience it as:

• “It will be better if I send this tomorrow.”
• “I just need to go through it one more time.”
• “I think it needs a bit more research first.”

But what feels like protecting the quality of the work, often keeps you from getting your best work out in the world to do its job.

You don’t have to lower your standards, but it helps to redefine what ‘done’ looks like in a way your nervous system can tolerate.

A quick fix for when perfectionism is slowing you down

Here’s a short writing protocol to experiment with, including: naming what you’re holding back, defining “good enough” for this specific task, and committing to one concrete, imperfect move you can take today.

Name the task or project. This step takes the situation out of vague pressure and turns it into a specific named thing.

Write: “The thing I’m postponing or endlessly tweaking right now is…”

Then add: “If this HAD to ship in the next 30–60 minutes, here’s the version I could send…” (Describe that imperfect but honest version.)

You’re showing your brain that a real, shippable version already exists, even if it isn’t polished.

Define ‘good enough’ for this task. Here you’re giving your brain a clear target instead of a moving one.
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Write: “For this specific thing, ‘good enough’ means…”
​Then: “If I made it 20% better than that, what actually changes for the outcome or the person on the other end?”

You’re helping your system see where extra effort genuinely matters, and where it doesn’t.

Surface anything that feels threatening. This part externalizes the underlying fear into language instead of leaving it as background tension.

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​Write: “What feels at risk if I send or publish this at ‘good enough’ instead of ‘perfect’?”
​Then: “What am I afraid will happen or be true?”

Examples that might show up:

• “People will think I’m less capable than they assumed.”
• “I’ll confirm the story that I’m not ready yet.”
• “If this flops, I won’t get another chance.”

Seeing these on the page moves them from body‑level alarm into something your thinking brain can actually work with.

Give yourself one kind and reasonable way to move forward. Instead of “make it perfect,” you’re deciding in advance what moving forward looks like today.

Write: “Given what I just wrote, one reasonable, kind way to move this forward today is…”
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Examples:

• A time decision – “I get 15 more minutes, then I send it out.”
• A revision decision – “I’m allowed one quick pass, not three.”
• A scope decision – “Today I just finalize the outline / draft the email / choose the date.”

You’re setting a small, clear commitment your brain can work with - and then honoring it instead of polishing forever.

Two new articles up

I posted a couple of new articles on Substack - links below in case you’d like to check them out:

• ​Three Mental States That Hijack Your Day
• ​How AI Is Rewiring How We Think​

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Cheers to a week of action over perfection,

– Aine

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