Are you a perfectionist at work? By Lindsey Townsend Do you constantly check and recheck your work, always looking for mistakes? Has your workplace become a prison because you can't relax and enjoy a job well done? When compulsive behavior is brought up, most of us think about rituals that are performed at home, such as checking repeatedly to make sure that the stove has been turned off. But compulsive behavior in the workplace also causes many executives unnecessary anxiety, distraction and frustration. Kim Agriesti, a research director for an executive recruiting firm, describes how it feels: "We're constantly under the gun to get proposals out to clients, but I just can't let anything go until I've proofed it several times. I'm always afraid I'll find some huge mistake." If you're successful at your work, chances are it's because in addition to being talented, you truly care about what you're doing. But if workplace checking is interfering with your productivity, it's time to get a handle on it. According to Reid Wilson, author of "Stop Obsessing: How to Overcome Your Obsessions and Compulsions," you may be a workplace checker if: You feel the urge to repeatedly check if you have forgotten something important such as notes in your briefcase or slides for a presentation. Your checking behavior interferes with your concentration or productivity at work. You feel the urge to repeatedly check if you have made a mistake such as misplaced numbers on a spreadsheet or typographical errors in a report. You seek out others to reassure you that you have correctly performed your tasks. You usually know that your checking behavior is excessive, but you can't stop yourself. You become anxious or preoccupied with your need to check over items or to verify that you have performed a task properly. If you said "check" to all of the above, here's how to bring your behavior under control. Step 1: Decide what's necessary Because checking behavior is triggered by worry that you'll make a mistake, you need to get some perspective on this fear. During a downtime, think about what behaviors are standard for other people in your position. Decide how many times a "normal" person would check this item, and then do it. Step 2: Gradually reduce the number of times you check Make the effort to bring your behavior under voluntary control. Set weekly goals to reduce the frequency of your checks, and reward yourself each time you reach a short-term goal. Step 3. Accept your worry thoughts Remind yourself that it's OK to feel some worry while you're learning new behaviors. Remember that you're attempting to break a pattern based on a faulty belief that you are in danger. While you have rationally decided that you are safe (Step 1), your mind isn't yet convinced. Don't give in to it and start checking again. Step 4: Be willing to tolerate some uncertainty Learn to handle the feeling that you may have made a mistake. Don't expect a 100 percent guarantee. Once you've taken reasonable actions (proofed your report or proposal twice, had someone you trust read it), practice walking away from it. Step 5: Expect to feel anxious, and take care of your anxious feelings Checking is your safety mechanism, and without it you will feel some anxiety. Reassure yourself that you are taking the right action. Instead of checking again, find other ways to handle your tension. Take some relaxing breaths, get involved in conversation or find another activity to preoccupy yourself. Finally, how do you know whether you're just a conscientious checker-or truly compulsive? "There are many people in the workplace who are perfectionists but don't meet the criteria for having obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)," notes clinical psychologist Carla Natalucci. "The red flag is when your compulsions interfere with your task completion, especially if your routines are frustrating or angering the people you work with." Also, individuals with true OCD often feel compelled to do things in a certain order or a certain number of times in order to feel emotional relief. The bottom line: "Are you doing something you don't want to be doing…or thinking something you don't want to be thinking? That's the real test of OCD," points out psychologist Steve Reed. Also see: Raising your self confidence How can a coach help a working mom like me? Lindsey Townsend is a freelance writer based in Lake Dallas, TX.