Comparing Big Picture Preference vs. Perfectionist Plus Time Management Personality Styles
There are 6 different time management personality types. The Big Picture and Perfectionist Plus time management personality types are related to the ways in which you attend to details. This post compares the 2 styles and makes distinctions between Big Picture and Perfectionist Plus style types.
When it comes to time management, details matter to some and are glossed over by others. Attending to details involves several aspects of how you:
- Maintain perspective over your life’s goals, tasks, and commitments,
- Use your energy day to day,
- Move between priorities and
- Create balance when you have multiple tasks and responsibilities.
Big Picture time management style Case Studies
Big Picture time personality types love executive summaries and broad brushstrokes.
One of my first clients, Tim a contractor for whom this style was dominant, called me up the day after he lost a check for $10,000 somewhere on his massively piled desk. His first solution was to order a second desk but fortunately, someone in his office suggested that maybe he should try a simple organizing system first.
Cara, was another Big Picture time management personality style client who was a project manager for a bank. During our work together, however, she lost her job. One of the things she really struggled with was channeling and containing what she referred to as her endless idea factory in her brain.
Cara was highly creative and energetic, and she was endlessly able to develop plans, schemes, options, opportunities and ideas that kept her up at night. But, when it came time to implement any of those ideas, she fell apart. When reality set in, she was dreadfully untethered to how long tasks and projects might take to complete. Additionally, Cara struggled to find a support person to accompany her during brainstorming blitzes to capture her endless ideas. So, she often worked late nights and tended to trigger others in her organization due to her apparent disregard for the time it took to implement. Unfortunately though, without boundaries, containment, and awareness, she would too often over-promise and under-deliver. So, when Cara lost her job. She was never sure whether it had to do with her Big Picture time management tendencies, or the dreaded ‘down-sizing’, but her time challenges remained after she left her position.
Big Picture Time Managers Need To Balance Ideas and Implementation
Details are less important for Big Picture people. They’d rather spend their time on global strategies and spontaneous action. Their lofty vision and fast-paced approach to life can cause them to overlook or ignore essential small pieces.
And as a result, Big Picture style types do well when matched with detail-oriented people. Anyone who follows through on tasks and implements details partners well. My contractor client was persuaded to hire a part-time secretary who would maintain control over his desk and make sure that financial items were handled in a secure manner.
It’s important to note that Big Picture types want things done. They care less about HOW something is done, as long as it’s completed. Additionally, they truly enjoy the feeling when detailed tasks are carried out by others. Now we’ll compare this to the time style preference that seems most opposite to Big Picture
Perfectionist Plus time management personalities love details!
The Perfectionist Plus style types spend many (often too many) hours taking care of things. Very high personal standards, drive Perfectionist Plus personality types to believe they should do nearly everything themselves. (No one else’s work is good enough.)
In addition, their perfectionistic tendencies lack any acknowledgment for ‘good enough’. They believe they should do everything they attempt well, and often single-handedly.
The secret to managing time successfully for this Perfectionist Plus personality types is to carefully distinguish between high and low priority activities so that there is a continual focus on those with the highest payoff. It’s also important for them to learn how to say no, and to delegate tasks where possible so that they have room on their plate for the things they most enjoy.
Perfectionist Plus Client Case Study
One of my Perfectionist Plus clients is a high-energy mother of two young boys. In addition, she runs a small law practice and volunteers in several organizations extensively. Sue kept up with her over-crowded schedule until she was diagnosed with a chronic condition that forced her to cut way back on her activities. She needed more rest. She frantically contacted me because she found it impossible to decide which pursuits to maintain and which to backburner or eliminate altogether.
The thought of saying no was physically making her sick.
She also had difficulty grasping the concept of “good enough” as opposed to the best she could possibly do. These small shifts in her attitude and habits made BIG changes for her overall feelings. She was able to lower her stress and feel much more in control of her time.
As personality matures, Time Styles develop over a lifetime of experience.
When comparing big picture and perfectionist plus types, Perfectionist Plus personalities find it especially difficult to lower their standards. Not only do they have high self-standards, they expect the high performance of others. As such, they often say yes because they believe their the only ones capable of doing things right.
While big picture style types avoid details, perfectionist plus types confront this super-human performance throughout other areas of their lives.
In my client’s case, we agreed that it would be better for her to do fewer activities and do each well than to be scattered and feeling behind the 8-ball. She decided to maintain her business at its current level but to eliminate those of her volunteer activities that didn’t involve her children until they were older. At that point, she would re-assess her time expenditures and her preferences.
To conclude, each person has natural time management habits, skills, and tendencies. Regardless of your style, it’s definitely possible, whether you’re a Big Picture person or a Perfectionist Plus time personality type, to stay true to your style and manage time effectively. Many times you’ll find that simple habits stand in the way and may even derail your productivity and sense of well-being.
Find out more and take steps to master time.
Once you identify your dominant time management personality types (Hopper™, Hyper Focus™, Big Picture™, Perfectionist Plus™, Impulsive™, or a Cliff Hanger™) you’ll instantly gain lifelong insights into how you have used your time and can begin to take steps to integrate more Flow Steps into your experience.
The online assessment tool: Time & Space Style Inventory™ (TSSI™) evaluates your time and organizing style preferences. It helps you understand more about how you manage priorities, attend to details, and take action. By learning your dominant and strong style preferences, you can make the most of your time and choose to take actions that increase flow in your life. Consistently taking the Flow Steps in your styles of dominance will help you successfully manage yourself, and make better decisions so you can finally master time.
