Perfectionist Quiz

Time is the great equalizer. Everybody gets the same amount: 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour. We can’t save time or accumulate or rearrange it. We can’t turn it off or on. It can’t be replaced.

But these days, it seems as if the lament of not having enough time has become a national anthem. Everywhere people find themselves constantly in a rush, over-booked and over-scheduled with no time off. Life is accompanied by the ongoing stress of not enough time. And sometimes doing too much and being too busy can be a way of numbing feelings or disguising depression or anger.

Though it may not always seem so, how we fill our time and how we spend it is our choice. Answer the following questions to discover if you’re caught up in the “too-busy” cycle.

QUIZ

1. I never do anything halfway; it’s all or nothing for me. Everytime.
2. People who do things halfway make me angry or disgust me.
3. I believe there’s a certain way to do things and they should always be done that way.
4. I get angry or defensive when I make mistakes. I hate to make them.
5. I often procrastinate on starting projects. I seldom meet deadlines. Or if I do, I kill myself meeting them.
6. I feel humiliated when things aren’t perfect.
7. I don’t like to admit not knowing how to do something or to being a beginner. If I can’t do something well, I won’t do it.
8. People say I expect too much of myself. Or of them.
9. In my family, you could never completely measure up to expectations.
10. I’m hard on myself when I lose, even if it’s only a friendly game or contest.
11. I often withdraw from others and from group activities.
12. I don’t think work should be fun or pleasurable.
13. Even when I accomplish something, I feel let down or empty.
14. I criticize myself and others excessively.
15. I like to be in control; if I can’t be in control then I won’t participate.
16. No matter how much I have done, there’s always more I could do.
17. I don’t delegate often and when I do, I always double-check to make sure the job is done right. It never is.
18. I believe it is possible to do something perfectly and if I keep at it, I can do it perfectly.
19. Forgetting and forgiving is not something I do easily or well.

There is a difference between excellence and perfection. Striving to be really good is excellence; trying to be flawless is perfectionism. If you’re concerned about your perfectionist behavior, or if you answered yes to more than 5 of the questions above, don’t hesitate to call.