In episode 132 of the Life Writers Vlog, I take a slight detour from my monthly memoir or writing book recommendations to discuss Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman.
This book really struck a chord with me, especially around the idea of imperfectionism—a term Burkeman coined that flips the script on our usual obsession with doing everything perfectly.
As a lifelong perfectionist, I often feel my creativity being choked by that inner critic, and Burkeman’s practical, thoughtful approach helps me loosen its grip.
The book is broken into four weekly sections with short daily chapters, touching on everything from embracing limits to taking imperfect action. A few gems?
- Surrender to the fact that you’ll never be on top of everything. It’s a fantasy.
- Treat your to-do list as a menu to choose items from, not something you have to complete.
- Keep a done list.
- Stop bullying yourself.
- Embrace daily-ish.
If you’re a writer who struggles with perfectionism, this book might offer exactly the kind of perspective shift you need. It certainly helped me.
Watch the video, and in the comments section below, tell us if any of Burkeman’s points ring true for you.
Until next time, happy writing!
I too am a perfectionist. Possibly from being the oldest child. And then I married an only child – who has always demanded things be perfect including his family. Now with a new grandchild, my focus has changed and created more harsh feels I have for myself as I have not been writing as I want, not even my blog. I will try some of these creative ideas and hopefully make some positive changes. Thanks for sharing with us Patricia.
As a sufferer from terminal perfectionism, I will definitely pick up Burkeman’s book. I love the ideas of scruffy hospitality and a Done list. I keep a to-do list but I try not to get too bogged down in whether or not I complete it today or tomorrow or the day after, and I add items that I’ve accomplished that weren’t on the list so I can feel good about them, so in a way I guess I’m already trying out several of these ideas. The line I loved best is “it’s either a good time or a good story”.… Read more »
The check off the list/DONE list is powerful. This list helps me to generate gratitude for the TO DONES things on the list that I have accomplished and for ME accomplishing moving them off the list to the TO DONES SIDE.
What resonated with me most is ability to show up and replacing the
to do lists with done lists. I have been doing it forever as an insensitive for myself to continue writing. I just never assigned these words to my actions. Every day I go into my sanity/ insanity room and work. As I complete my assignments, I write what I’ve done on my calendar page. This is how I keep tack of things to hold myself responsible.
I really liked Scruffy Hospitality.
I am working on replacing my inner critic from a boss I am compelled to obey, into an advisor I can ignore or even fire if I want to.
Very interesting David. I can relate to this.
Yes, I find all of it relatable.
“Scruffy entertaining”- a courageous idea for me to pursue!
That last one: “We often use productivity to earn the right to belong”. Wow – I feel that. My productivity ebbs and flows in disparate periods. Maybe just showing up is enough.
Thanks for this. I made notes…now to use them!