You have to get rid of that mindset or you will not achieve ANY in your life. Not in IM, not in your personal life (sounds harsch but it's the truth).

Even god isn't perfect, there are burglars, liars, cheeters etc....anyhow, he put that ole "world" together and somehow it works.

G.

Very interesting points people are making. I love "stepwise refinement". Rings my bell. NOBODY knows enough to be perfect, no matter how practiced you are. The thing about perfectionism is that perfectionists are painfully aware that perfection is illusive, and an ongoing process, and it always seems out of reach. What is perfect anyway? Perfect is a relative term. We are our own harshest judges. Maybe the trick is to be kinder to yourself, to not be too precious about any one step. I think the trick is to see the whole and work on each campaign, each website conceptually as a whole, just like when you make a drawing. You work on the whole drawing at once and perfect it as a whole by eliminating and adding. Internet Marketing has a lot of steps. You can conceive your niche as a whole, but work on one segment at a time. Writing articles really does get easier the more you write. I'll write an article, put it aside for a couple days, re-read it and edit. Then off it goes, even if it sounds less inspired than I'd like. Not perfect, but I correct the typos and try to make sentences as clear as possible. As for websites...just keep them flexible and alive. They should be changing all the time. One of the hardest lessons I've had to learn is to not frustrate myself by trying to do too much at once. Keep the day reasonably scheduled. When I write articles, that's all I do that day. For me, that's discipline. Being scattered is a big challenge.

It's simple. You don't KNOW enough to be perfect.

You need a process called "stepwise refinement". Get all the major components in place and working, however crudely and then refine each one as you learn more.

You'll be amazed how different that first article looks aftet you've written the first 100. But write the first 1oo first.

Hey. Something things I have learn't from my own perfectionist nature also is that one; there will always be something better/different than want I want to achieve because I have accepted I am still learning even now. IM is a progressive thing and you will never reach an "end" to your learning but you will a level of experience and skill. I always use to look at other websites/articles etc and think, "I can do that too" but I realise that I either do not have the knowledge yet to implement them effectively or sometimes I found myself trying to cram too much on my webpage. What I am essentially saying is a perfectionist is rearely happy and is always overly critical of themselves but I think you have to reach a point of contentment - then move on from there. Secondly, When making your deadlines or to-do lists try not add anything else on top of it as you go. This also can manifest that 'im never gonna finish' monster. Stick to what you have planned/written - do it until it's finished completely and then thing about scaling/adapting etc. That might help. Hope it works out for you. Dre

Do u have a fear of failure? i think u have to fail, then analyse , then do it over-/ better.
I too am new at this. I pick a subject - study it & apply it.
Its that simple. If u post an article- dont edit it later... just write a fresh one.
all u need to do is focus on what is valuable to the reader. I find the more u do it the easier it becomes.
...and no, im not going to come back and edit this post...

Yard sticks, brooms, the garden hose... these were some of the motivational tools employed on me in my youth. Don't be shocked - I deserved a lot of it. Anyway, I find it helps to have someone that shares the same interest, but is less finicky about the particulars.

thanx a bunch everybody. i think i know what i need to do :)

im a 'sort of" like you. i never could get anything done because it looks to "common" or ""everybody is ding it, but then i decided I have to put something out. so i started doing my best with everything and just publish it. from there on i can se my flaws and mistakes and work on them to get better. thats the way you need to follow, just do it and then correct yourself alng the way

Hi nitagurl, I identify with you. I'm also a perfectionist and I don't consider it a flaw. Artists are always perfectionists. But you're right about the need to get it out there. I make an inhuman list of things I intend to achieve in one day, then I get real. Work on one thing at a time and "perfect" it. Then move on to the next. You have to decide your own best way of working, not WA, not anyone else. Just take some of the time constraints pressure off of yourself by doing one task at a time. Labman gave you some good advice about the spontaneous stuff has an impact because it often comes from the heart, and therefore reaches people. The spontaneous stuff just pops out of you while you are perfecting something else. Don't worry. You're fine.

It's not a race, but the internet does reward good content. If you are having trouble meeting your own deadlines. Change them. Take smaller bites, work on something until you are satisfied. Learn to lower your standards a bit too. I bet you are putting out some awesome stuff. Sometimes the off the cuff stuff has better results 'cause it comes from the heart.