Write of Passage Weekly - How to Escape the Perfectionism Trap

Hey , 

Do you struggle with perfectionism? If so, listen up, because I’m about to drop a truth-bomb. 

Perfectionism isn’t real. Really, it’s a mask for procrastination. 

We often wear the phrase “I’m too much of a perfectionist!” like a productivity-martyr. Don’t get me wrong — having a high-quality bar is excellent. But never publishing because you’re never satisfied? Not so much. 

Maybe you can sling ideas with ease in conversation. But when it’s time to put them on the page, you become paralyzed. You suddenly turn into a tiptoe-typer, an over-editor, and a stickler for standards. You could fill 15 pages, but you get stuck rewriting your opening line 40 times.

Can you imagine if you followed the same process in a conversation? It would be a disaster. You would struggle to form a coherent sentence. That’s why, when you speak, you let your words flow and lean into your intuition. Why not do the same when you write? 

Writers often set their internal bar so high they can’t reach it. So, they self-sabotage. Hours, days, weeks, months fly by as you meticulously craft the “perfect” piece of writing. Your ego whispers in your ear that your work needs to be flawless and awe-inspiring. And as a result, your creativity suffers. 

Luckily, there’s a simple fix: give yourself a deadline.

Working against the clock silences your ego and sharpens your thinking. There’s no room for perfectionism or procrastination, only flow and creativity. Just like having a conversation with your best friend, your intuition will take over. The result? Ideas pour out of you. Word counts creep up. And before you know it, you’ll have written a piece you’re proud of. 

A deadline is like medicine for a writer — the cure for what blocks you — and that’s why we created Publish in a Day. What can you expect? One-on-one feedback from trained editors. Live conversation with like-minded writers. Writing prompts, expert advice from our team members, and of course, deadlines. In one day, you'll go from the seed of an idea at 11 am to having published a piece you’re proud of by 6 pm. 

“Publish in a Day was the creativity catalyst my soul had been craving.” – Jenny

If you’re ready to beat perfectionism (*cough cough* procrastination), then join us for Publish in a Day. Who knows? This could be the creativity catalyst your soul has been craving.

To getting words on the page,

David

Alumni Stories

If you’ve published sporadically before, but you’re looking to get serious, Robert’s story may resonate with you. 

Robert Greiner used to write about “professional” topics, like solutions to common tech problems, but these topics felt generic and stuffy. He needed change if he wanted to stay consistent. That’s why he joined Publish in a Day: to gain feedback on his work and have the accountability to hit “Publish.”

Now, Robert is a prolific writer; and he’s finally writing about topics that he loves. Forget stuffy professionalism — Robert is building his personal brand by merging personal stories with professional expertise. One of his articles recently hit #31 on Hacker News. And he’s just getting started. 

“The network-effect and the community has tremendous value.… It was clear to me that this content is the best out there. If you want to level up your writing game and get on the next S-curve, there’s no better choice.” – Robert

Like Robert, you can use Publish in a Day to level up your writing and kickstart your publishing streak. 

Join us on January 19 to see for yourself. 

P.S. Here’s a selection of articles from our alumni. They published in a day, and you can too.