Have you ever wondered how someone with more responsibilities or demands is able to achieve more than you? No, they are not perfect, alien, or some breed of human meets robot. They are not special. It’s possible that they have just learned how to focus on productivity and efficiency.

Let’s get one thing clear before we move any further: A happy life does not mean a “perfect” life. So, be careful not to strive for a one-sided picture of someone else’s life as your measure of success.

Merriam-Webster and Oxford dictionaries define perfection as:

• “having no mistakes or flaws”
• “completely correct or accurate”
• “having all the qualities you want in that kind of person, situation, etc.”
• “having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be”
• “free from any flaw or defect in condition or quality; faultless”

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen anyone that’s flawless and perfect. If this is how you are defining our success, then you are already headed down the wrong path.

Striving for Perfection is Problematic

Although we logically know that no one is perfect, we still have this idea of perfection planted somewhere in our heads. The idea of perfection alone is not the problem; rather, the problem lies in what happens to us emotionally when we consider ourselves a failure if we are not attaining perfection.

For the sake of discussion, let’s just hypothetically consider that we have achieved perfection. Yay! Pat yourself on the back. Well, not for too long because as we grow, change, and learn, that personal definition of perfection will change. It is like a never-ending race that can become overwhelming, stressful, discouraging, depressing, and anxiety-producing. And that’s precisely one of the reasons it’s so problematic.

Perfection is an illusion

Through some planning and reflection, I’ve learned that it’s more important to focus on productivity and efficiency as opposed to having a “perfect” day.

It’s great to have ambitious goals (we should), but it’s problematic to believe we are overall failures if we don’t reach the stars. For most of us, happiness is connected to being as close to perfection as possible. We assume that if we can complete everything on our life’s wish list then life will be complete and happy. But, feeling whole is not based on external perfection or material things and the road to success is never perfect.

So, make productivity and efficiency your new idea of success—a slight adjustment that can made a huge mental and emotional difference. It will re-framed how you feel about each day and how you focus on things throughout your day.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

1. What will productivity look like today?
2. What are the most important things I need to accomplish today?
3. Are there things I can do now to set myself up for a productive day?

You don’t have to change your goals, just your approach and framing around perfectionism.

Stay Flexible

If you adopt this mindset just know that there will be things that you cannot completely control through a pre-planned list and vision for the day. There are constantly things, such as work, family, friends, life, biological factors (sleep, health, nutrition), and weather, that impact your daily “productivity list” or interfere with your ability to completely focus on the things you have set as priorities. And, that’s OK; it’s life.

If and when these matters arise, quickly recalculate how to handle them by determining when and how handling them would be the most efficient and effective. Some matters can wait, so give yourself permission to say no if necessary. Other times, you might need to shift some of your priorities to quickly handle life. Again, that’s OK. Be flexible and adjust.

Take it one day at a time

Every day will never be perfect and accepting that is the first step to being more productive and happy. Say this to yourself: If I am being highly productive, using my time effectively, and placing optimal focus on the steps that bring me closer to my goals, then I am having a productive day.

(Note: Productive days should include time to manage stress and take care of your health. A healthy body and mind increases productivity!)

Remember, success comes one deliberate step at a time and one productive day at a time. Ditch perfection, it’s draining your productivity.