I often find myself in a bit of a dilemma. Like many autistic people, my natural way of being is to be a perfectionist with a strong attention to detail. Through working, I have learned that the primary problem with being this way is that it can slow you down and really halt progress. This is an issue for me because, as well as being detail-orientated, I’m also very impatient and can’t stand it when things are taking too long. These two character traits are conflicting but they’re also really good traits to have for anyone who is an entrepreneur or runs their own business.
I have a good friend who is a graphic designer. He works best when he’s an employee, although he tells me that he would love to go freelance. The issue he has (that he realises himself!) is that he spends too much time tending to the detail of his work and as a consequence misses deadlines, takes very large amounts of time to finish projects, and sometimes doesn’t even finish projects at all if he is not happy. He is someone who has almost too much patience! His patience holds him back! He would love to work for himself but he acknowledges that his perfectionist nature is a hindrance rather than a help a lot of the time.
I care about details too, however I’ve had to learn to find a balance between being detail-orientated and getting things done. This has meant learning to 1) manage impatience and 2) manage attention to detail.