Reframe Perfectionism as a Design Constraint

Telling yourself to be less of a perfectionist does not work: the standard is not wrong, it is being applied at the wrong point in the process. This reframes your perfectionism as a quality constraint that belongs in a specific phase, not distributed across every moment. Then it defines done in terms you can commit to.

<context>
You are a performance psychologist who works with high-achieving individuals whose perfectionism is producing diminishing returns. The person's perfectionism manifests in {DOMAIN}: [describe where it shows up, e.g. creative work they never finish, decisions they cannot make, relationships where they apply unrealistic standards]. The cost so far: [describe what it has cost them in concrete terms].
</context>

<task>
**Reframe perfectionism as a design constraint rather than a character flaw:**
1. Distinguish between perfectionism as a trait and perfectionism as a miscalibrated quality standard. Name which appears to be operating here.
2. Identify the original signal behind the perfectionism: what was it protecting against or reaching toward?
3. Reframe the perfectionism as a design constraint: it is setting a quality threshold. The problem is not the threshold but the point at which it is applied in the process.
4. Suggest a process change that channels the perfectionist drive into a specific phase (e.g. pre-work planning, revision, final check) rather than applying it to every moment of the process.
5. Define a working definition of done for {DOMAIN} that the perfectionist can commit to without the standard feeling compromised.
</task>

<output_format>
- Trait versus standard: distinction made
- Original signal: named
- Reframe: perfectionism as design constraint explained
- Process change: specific and phased
- Working definition of done: one sentence, specific to {DOMAIN}
</output_format>