Musterbation: The Irrational Demand for Perfection

Musterbation is the term coined by Dr. Albert Ellis. It describes a misconception that we must do everything perfectly.

Dr. Ellis used the concept of musterbation with his patients. By teaching them to catch words like “I must” and then challenge that thought, he helped them decrease the feeling of being overwhelmed, anxious, and “not enough”.

In today’s busy and hustle culture there is pressure to get a lot done.The problem is not all tasks are equal, but we move forward at the same level of high-quality output.

Perfectionism is the enemy of productivity.

We all have more on our plates than we can do, so sometimes we need to proactively decide to just crank out a given task.

Sufficers vs. optimizers

Some people will spend hours on Amazon to find the ideal product. They would read the reviews, comparison articles, etc. They are often called optimizers.

“Sufficers” will find a basic printer to do the job and have it ordered in under 10 minutes.

The same concept can be applied to your work. You can get a task done and out, or spend the energy you normally put into your deliverables.

Knowing what to spend time on and what to simply get out the door is what separates peak performers from the rest.

When climbing a big wall, the focus is getting to the top and back down alive. If you didn’t coil your rope perfectly on a given section for style points, it not only doesn’t matter, but the time saved might have bought you the precious few minutes of daylight to avoid stumbling down on a treacherous section.

SOLUTIONS:

Decide in advance which tasks you're going to do a great job at, and which ones you’re just going to get done quickly.

Remember, the words “I should”, “I must” and “I have to” are hints that you might be allocating too much attention to a task.

“Stop shoulding all over yourself.”
- Dr. Albert Ellis