Perfectionism and burnout should not be collapsed into one causal story. Workload, authority, resources, and employment conditions matter. An impossible personal standard is one planning issue to examine, not a complete explanation of exhaustion.
A worked situation: Accurate internal deck
Fictional example. An employee revises an internal slide deck repeatedly while also carrying an understaffed workload. Limiting optional revisions may help the task, but does not supply missing staff or make the workload safe.
Work through these questions: Accurate internal deck
| Question or field | Fictional completed example |
|---|---|
| Essential output? | Accurate internal deck |
| Optional revisions? | Layout polishing |
| Structural constraint? | Understaffed team |
| Available negotiation? | Ask for priority and scope |
| Support question? | Discuss persistent exhaustion |
Keep workload and optional polish in separate columns
The draft does not establish that perfectionism causes burnout. Record the actual output requirement, optional revisions, workload, resources, and authority to change priorities. A negotiation may be needed when the structure is unrealistic; a private stopping rule cannot repair every organizational problem. Preserve the distinction between Kerub’s action lens and a causal clinical claim.