Perfectionism is something I've struggled with for a long time. It's one of the things that keeps me from completing projects I know I'm capable of doing. It's easy to get caught up in the loop of everything has to be 100% perfect to leave your hands. Or, what's worse, to not even attempt something unless you know you can do it. Sticking with things you know is no way to grow.

I've read some from Stehpen Guise online and liked his work, but the title and premise of this book made it a must purchase for me. It's probably the kindle book I've most highlighted in and I find myself coming back to it just to read over sections I've highlighted. Any time I struggle with a new project, or with worrying something isn't good enough, I go back to this book.

The chapters are well organized into first a discussion of problems and then advice on practical solutions to move past these issues. One of the tips I've found most helpful is a simple reframing of how I think about the past. I tend to dwell on the past and worry about what I should have done differently. Guise's simple advice is to think 'I could have' instead of 'I should have'. That simple change in vocabularly makes it seems more like I made one of a dozen possible choices and not that I've been judged a failure.

These small but practical tips make conquering the challenge of perfectionism seem like a reasonable thing to do. As we start 2016, I think that this guide can give you a positive headstart into a new year and a new way of doing things.

You can buy How to be an Imperfectionist here or at your local Indie bookstore.