The statement 'I'm a perfectionist' sounds like a humblebrag because it usually is.
In job interview situations it frequently makes interviewers' eyes roll because it has become the most overused response to 'now tell us about your weaknesses'.
I'd wager that most of us still view perfectionism as a selling point. A high achiever with meticulous attention to detail who only delivers top notch work? That certainly sounds like someone we'd all jump to hire first. No wonder job candidates are keen to own it.
But what if perfectionism was far more problematic than we realize? A clinical psychologist specializing in burnout, Dr Matt Slavin, thinks it is.
He says it is cropping up with alarming frequency among the high achievers he works with who fear not being able to meet their own, often unreasonably high, standards.
The consequence is that it can halt projects and tasks and even delay career progress, because of what's called 'perfectionism paralysis' which can manifest in delayed decision-making, missed deadlines, and a mounting sense of frustration.
In an interview, Slavin told me about one of his clients, a senior leader, who struggled with delegating tasks, convinced that no one could meet his expectations. As a result, he took on more work himself, which overwhelmed him and led to frustration and disengagement among his team who felt undervalued.
Slavin said: "Rather than elevating performance, his pursuit of perfection created isolation, eroding trust and motivation within the team. Over time, this pattern trapped him in a cycle of exhaustion and loneliness, significantly increasing his risk of burnout."
Social psychologist Dr Thomas Curran, author of The Perfection Trap and an expert in the field, says perfection is impossible, but it can do real damage.
Appearing on the 10% Happier podcast in May, Curran talked about the need for people to reconnect with what really matters. He explained: "You don't need perfectionism to be successful. You need passion, purpose, and some sort of inner meaning that drives you forward. Those are the things that we should be reconnecting with."
He advises people to enjoy their successes once they've mastered something - and to sit back and recognize that they've become proficient and allow that success into their lives.
As for how workplaces can support perfectionists, Curran points to the work of Amy Edmonson, a professor of leadership at Harvard Business School, who is best known for coining the term 'psychological safety'.
Curran wants to see more leaders building safe cultures and environments of inclusivity whereby if people make mistakes, it's OK. He also thinks leaders should normalize screw ups, by sharing and even laughing about their own.
Slavin has encouraged some of his clients to take up hobbies, such as martial arts or painting, where progress is gradual, failure is integral to learning and a part of the process. This can help to break the cycle of needing to 'get it right' by shifting the focus from the outcome to the process itself.
Slavin adds: "Creative pursuits like painting show there's no 'right' way to do things, encouraging experimentation, mistakes, and self-expression. This helps clients let go of rigid standards and find joy in the process."
In an interview, UK-based media relations agency owner Emily Garnham told me she has been fighting perfectionist tendencies for as long as she can remember. She found that taking up a creative hobby-in her case ceramics-taught her to embrace failure.
She explains: "At first I compared myself to everyone else in the class. But I soon realized that I enjoyed the therapeutic process of working clay and being back in a classroom much more than I enjoyed being handed a finished bowl hot from the kiln, so it didn't really matter what I made.
"When you're trying to fashion a water jug and the handle succumbs to gravity, or the arty 'abstract' brush strokes you just daubed on a plate actually look like a kangaroo, you just fix it or make it again.
"After six months I was still making coffee mugs that resembled kettlebells and that could probably inflict serious damage with one swing, but I had also learnt that some imperfections can make a piece beautiful. Another benefit is that I'm now able to make faster decisions without spending hours thinking about the consequences."
Garnham says she celebrates progress in her pottery class in a way that she has never paused to celebrate her achievements in her 20-year career.
Slavin warns, however, that this approach may only work with the right support as without it perfectionists might still over analyze their performance, turning the hobby into yet another source of stress. But he says that with proper guidance, these activities can become powerful tools to reframe failure, foster self-compassion, and change their narrative around performance.
Finding a hobby where iteration is part of the process is also a reminder that if you're too good at something, you're likely stuck in your comfort zone, which might be a pleasant place, but it's not where real growth happens.