A Pertinent Conversation with a Perfectionist on the Bathroom Floor. Is 75% Enough?

“I went back to the same bathroom, looked in the mirror, and had that moment of realisation: 75% wasn’t just fine. 75% was absolutely great!” 

Let me start at the beginning for all the Perfectionists out there. 

Katherine Fish is a Research Fellow at the The University of Sheffield. When Kat was diagnosed with endometriosis, she often relied on a “push-through” approach to work. But this came at a cost. When she was later diagnosed with a second chronic condition, ME, her previous strategies no longer worked. About our coaching intentions, she said…

“I don’t want to step away from my career without feeling I’ve done everything I can to work out how to do this sustainably. 

I’d been invited to give a talk at a conference in America. I was keen to go but a bit anxious about the energy it would take to travel and deliver the talk. I hadn’t been well leading up to it, so my slides weren’t as prepared as I would have liked—or as they usually are. 

The day before my talk, I sat on the bathroom floor because it was the only quiet place where no one would hear me practice (we were in shared dorm-type facilities). Sitting there, looking over my slides after just one run-through, I had a moment of realisation: ‘Actually, it’s fine. What I’ve done is fine. 75% of my effort is okay.’ 

But part of me still wondered—‘Yes, but is it?’ 

I went and gave the talk, and it was absolutely fine. I had loads of good questions afterward, and I connected with a lot of people. Returning to the same bathroom, I realised: 75% wasn’t just fine—it was absolutely great! 

And that was what I needed to give at that time because that was all the energy I had. I’m so hard on myself to reach 100% every single time. It’s not sustainable, and it’s not actually necessary.”

Releasing Perfectionist Pressure 

The Perfectionist is that part of us with impossibly high standards, forever comparing us to an idealised, “perfect” version of ourselves. It’s a comparison we’re doomed to fail, leaving us feeling substandard and at the mercy of our Inner Critic. 

The Perfectionist urges us to spend any available time (and more) to reach 100% or even 110%. But if we can release that pressure, we often find we’re already doing great—and can reclaim the extra time, energy, and mental space we sacrifice to perfectionism.

Listen to Kat’s full, inspiring story 🎙️ on Women in STEM Career & Confidence
(🎙️ iTunes │ 🎙️Spotify )

In this episode you will hear about:

• Major insights she gained from our sessions, including that powerful conversation with her Perfectionist on the bathroom floor. 

• Her shift from managing time to managing energy, ruthless prioritisation, saying no gracefully, and asking for what she needs. Insights include research from Cal Newport’s book Deep Work.
• Learning to adapt leadership styles to achieve the result with minimum energy consumption.

Keep opening up,  

Hannah 

When you’re ready, here are three ways I can help you: 

📖 Benchmark your career for free. Take the Career Accelerator Scorecard and receive a personalised report to transform your career design strategy.

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🎤 Need an inspiring speaker for your next event? Hit reply or visit hannahnikeroberts.com.