Stop Obsessing: Here Are 7 Areas Where Perfectionism Hinders Good Writing [Infographic]

Not long after I began working at HubSpot, my manager introduced me to a term that was new to me: analysis paralysis.

How had I never heard of this concept before? I was certainly familiar with what it described: the paralyzing nature of habitually over-analyzing one's work in an unrealistic quest for it to be perfect.

Breaking news: No one's work is perfect. Okay, maybe Beyoncé's is. But mine certainly isn't.

It's one thing to hold yourself to high standards. As marketers, we all know a thing or two about tearing something down and starting it from scratch again and again because there's something about it that's just not quite there. 

The problem is, as marketers, we also enjoy streamlined processes. And analysis paralysis? Well, that ain't it, folks -- especially when it comes to writing.

Luckily, the talented Henneke Duistermaat of Enchanting Marketing is here to help. Not only has she identified seven key areas of the writing process where our perfectionism tends to get the best of us, but she also compiled it into this extremely helpful -- not to mention, adorable -- infographic that explains simple ways to overcome it.

Overcoming Perfectionism in Writing: 7 Areas to Focus On

1. Idea generation
2. Research
3. The outline
4. The first draft
5. Revisions
6. Editing and proofreading
7. Publication