133: 3 Reasons You DON’T Want to Aim For A+ Work

3 reasons you don’t want to aim for A+ work

As a perfectionist, does the thought of giving anything less than 100% of your effort make you uneasy?

You’re willing to work crazy long hours even if it means staying up all night to get that presentation done. Try to get every single thing checked off your to-do lists even when there’s 200 tasks on it, and you plan your schedules so tightly that there’s not a spare second to rest. But at the end of the day, when something inevitably goes wrong, or you fail to meet your own outrageous expectations… you spiral into doubt.

Because our drive for perfectionism, our desire to get things just right, and the pressure we put on ourselves to meet impossibly high and unrealistic standards are all part of our mental default.

And doubt is a scary, uncomfortable, and downright unpleasant feeling. With doubt comes way more stress, pressure, guilt, shame, and overwhelm. It’s an icky situation filled with all the worst things for your productivity.

So how do we fight doubt holding us back from taking confident action?

Today I’ll explain why we feel the need to keep putting out A+ work all the time, when all we really need to do is get comfortable doing B+ work!

I’ll also tell you the 3 reasons why training your brain for B+ work actually elevates your productivity, plus the 3 ways to shift your mindset and combat doubt for perfectionists.

Does the idea of doing B+ work make you cringe?

One of my mentors in the online business world, Amy Porterfield, recommends we all get comfortable doing B+ work if we want to reach all our big career goals AND still have a life we love outside of work.

I call her my mentor because when I first started my business, I devoured her podcast like candy. I’m also part of her courses and membership, but she has thousands of students and probably has no idea who I am (PS- it’s okay for us to have mentors we look up to and who inspire us without actually meeting them face to face. You’ve heard me say a hundred times on this show how a book changed how I see the world– and I’ve never met any of those authors either!)

But I digress. Amy Porterfield said on her podcast recently that we should aim for B+ work.

And let me tell you, that made my inner Type A, high achieving, needs-to-do A+ work-all-the-time inner perfectionist spiral. I’m pretty sure my eye started twitching when I heard her say that. Because I was that kid my whole life that needed the A! I worked hard for As, and a B must have been failing, right?

And if you’re in this community of other high achievers, you’re probably used to doing A+ work all the time, too. Maybe you’re always looking to be the top producer at your company. Or you’re obsessed with putting in 110% effort into everything you do – whether in the office, in your online business, or even at home. You’re constantly pushing yourself to get it done perfectly.

A+ Nicole did it all in my many years in university studying neuroscience. I poured hours of time and tons of energy into all my assignments and papers to get an A. I practiced each presentation over and over to make sure I had it all down pat. And in between all my coursework, papers, and presentations… I was still running around trying to get an A in every other part of my life.

But that did get me thinking… Do I need to always turn out A+ work? Or is there any value in B+ work?

Let’s think about that for a minute.

Why you don’t need to aim for perfection to have success

A B+ is like a high 70, low 80% work. If I’m being honest with myself, 80% work from me is still pretty darn good. A B+ for me is probably what most people would still consider top notch work. There’s nothing wrong with it, and it’s good quality effort and performance!

When I make a B+ podcast, it still helps my audience members, like you, challenge the beliefs and stories that our brains create. Those that hold us back as high achievers. And my B+ work still gives great tips and strategies. Plus it’s still fun to listen to!

But a B+ means that I’m not obsessing over every mistake.

I’m not hitting re-record every time I stumble over my words or making sure my script is flawlessly and meticulously written.

I’m also not worrying too crazy about having the greatest SEO.

And I’m definitely not stressing out when the final episode has a few, tiny mistakes.

Every time I read a novel or a book and I see a typo, it actually makes me smile. Because guess what? Published books have gone through rounds and rounds of editing by many different professionals. And there are still typos, because that’s totally normal! And if that author had obsessed forever on his book being an A+ novel, I wouldn’t be sitting here enjoying the book with my coffee right now. Chances are, they’d be stuck procrastinating, overthinking, or holding themselves back from writing because they’re trying to get it perfect. And the book wouldn’t be finished, or it might not even exist!

The benefits of B+ work as a high achiever

Here’s why I’m trying to get comfortable with B+ work.

#1 I get way more done.

I spend less time stressing and fussing about every small detail. Because doing so burns my time, and my energy fast.

I’m actually moving the needle towards my goals, because I get started on them. When I’m not obsessing over each part of a project and I just keep trusting the process, I’m able to put out work that’s great quality and that I’m still super proud of.

#2 There’s way less stress.

When I’m not overextending myself all the time to keep putting out the best and most perfect quality work, my inner perfectionist calms down. She isn’t on high alert all the time because I’m not putting that extra pressure on myself.

I get to work, without fighting a mental battle of feeling like I’m not working hard enough, or second guessing every decision worrying if it’ll be good enough.

#3 My clients see more benefit.

I’m not sitting on a project for years on end and never sharing it with the world. If I were to get stuck in the overachiever cycle of procrastination, overthinking, and perfectionism, I’d be holding myself back from putting all my good content to use.

And I wouldn’t be able to help all my clients achieve success and reach their goals, because I’d be too busy worrying about getting that A+!

But with all that’s said and done, it’s all a learning curve– even for me. Everyone goes through their own process.

Getting comfortable with B+ work is still hard for me – thanks to all the years of being A+ Nicole. Our brains learn these mental habits through practice, and we’ve all had years of practice with our perfectionist tendencies and drive to put out those As. My inner perfectionist and overachiever likes to jump in (uninvited!) and tell me that I’m not good enough. I’m not working hard enough. I’m failing with a B+. Or it makes me feel guilty and ashamed about all of the above.

Don’t get me wrong– sometimes seeing mistakes or typos still make me cringe. It’s uncomfortable for our brains to see mistakes, because it’s laser focused on errors to keep us safe and comfortable. At the end of the day, our brains are wired for success. Failure doesn’t feel good- and that’s the last place our brains ever want to be in. Because failing makes your brain doubt yourself and all your choices.

3 strategies to stop getting mad at yourself for making mistakes

So how do I fight that nagging feeling of doubt?

#1 I pay attention to when other people make mistakes.

It often feels like we’re the only ones who ever mess up. But that’s not true. You notice when there’s a typo in a book or an email– not with judgment, but you do notice it. And you still might love that book even with a typo. Or you still think highly of the person who sent you that email.

Do you notice when you see a TV star stumble over their lines in an interview? Does it make you love them less? Are they any less funny? No, of course not. We put such sky-high expectations on ourselves, and noticing that other people are every bit as human as us can allow us to embrace the fact that mistakes are normal. And they’re not something to feel guilty and ashamed of.

#2 I remind myself of the benefits of B+ work.

One of the biggest pros is that I get way more work done, faster! Which means that I have a lot more time to spend on other important things like my family and my hobbies, self-care and “me” time.

And even being able to help even more people in our community! I’m not working through feeling stressed and overwhelmed. I’m making consistent progress towards my goals, while having the time and energy to live my life exactly the way I want to.

#3 I also like to remind myself that in our super filtered, social media world, sometimes imperfections can be blessings.

They can bring us closer as a community, like when you’re trying to get it all perfect all the time and how stressful it really gets for you and those around you. How relatable is it when your friends or people you look up to can make a mistake, then bounce right back? How amazing is it to have this community of ambitious, high achieving women who are also recovering perfectionists?

As a matter of fact, the best presentation I ever did for my business? I had TONS of problems. There were lots of glitches all over the place, and my tech and internet kept going out randomly. But I was able to use humor in the situation, with those in the meeting laughing along with me and having a great time! I got some of the best feedback on that talk. Like how you don’t have to be superwoman. Superheroes live a pretty isolated life, right? It’s hard (and lonely) to try and be perfect all the time… to save the whole world every day. Embrace your unique awesomeness and start training your brain for B+ work that is every single bit as fantastic and worthy as your A+ work!

Episode bonus resources

This episode is brought to you by my free workbook - your daily productivity checklist. Ever wished you had more time in your day? This free workbook will walk you through the steps I use to set up my day to maximize productivity so you can get more done in your day (without feeling totally overwhelmed or staying up all night to squeeze it all in!) Download your copy of Your Daily Productivity checklist at https://www.drnicolebyers.com/checklist

Key episode takeaways

Okay friends, let’s quickly review all the good stuff we talked about in this episode. As Type A, ambitious, and high achieving women in this community, we’ve had tons of practice putting out A+ work in everything that we do. And as we all probably found out, the idea of turning in B+ work sounded weird and uncomfortable.

But there’s a ton of value in your B+ work! You end up getting way more done with less stress, worry, and frustration. Instead of overthinking, procrastinating, or endlessly going back and forth to make a decision and just get started– you sit down and put out really great quality work, and get stuff done faster. Your project doesn’t just sit there as you struggle with self-doubt. You’re able to get it done, and make so much progress towards your career and life goals.

We also talked about how totally normal and human it is to make mistakes. Everyone messes up! And that’s okay. This realization just brings us all closer together. And just getting started, REALLY getting comfortable with B+ work means you have more time in your day to do the things you love.

Show Highlights

[02:26] - If we want to reach career goals and have time for ourselves, we have to get comfortable with B+ work.

[03:49] - A+ work takes all of your time and energy.

[04:35] - What is the value of your B+ work?

[05:58] - Reason #1 B+ work is great: You move the needle forward on your goal.

[06:32] - Reason #2: There is way less stress.

[07:01] - Reason #3: My clients see the benefit.

[08:33] - Pay attention when other people make mistakes.

[10:01] - Mistakes and imperfection can bring you closer to your community.

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