You start a task.
A voice whispers.
“Not good enough.”
You freeze or you overwork.
This is the inner critic.
It wants safety.
It kills progress.
A short story
A UX lead sent drafts late.
Not because she was lazy.
Because the voice said, “Make it perfect or you will look weak.”
We named the voice.
We wrote new lines.
She shipped a V1 in one hour.
Feedback made it better in one day.
How the critic speaks at work
- All or nothing. “If it is not perfect, it is trash.”
- Fortune telling. “They will hate this.”
- Mind reading. “My boss thinks I am slow.”
- Labeling. “I am bad at this.”
- Minimizing wins. “Anyone could do it.”
- Catastrophe. “One mistake will ruin me.”
Name the pattern.
Power returns.
Spot. Pause. Replace.
Spot
Hear the exact sentence in your head.
Write it down as a quote.
Pause
Breathe once.
Say, “This is a thought, not a fact.”
Replace
Write a truer, kinder line that helps you act.
Do this in one minute.
Repeat when needed.
The Evidence Check
Ask three simple questions:
- What facts support this thought
- What facts do not
- What would I tell a friend who said this
Now write the balanced line:
“Some risk exists. I can send a V1 and learn.”
Your Anti-Critic Toolkit
1) Name the voice
Give it a funny name. “The Editor.” “The Guard.”
When it shows up, say, “Hi Guard. I see you.”
2) Shrink the task
Make a smaller slice.
Ten to fifteen minutes.
Finish that first.
3) Set a floor, not a ceiling
Floor: clear, correct, on time.
Ceiling can come later.
4) Time box
Ship a draft in 45 minutes.
Improve with feedback.
5) Proof of enough
List three things this draft must do.
If yes, it is enough for V1.
Scripts you can copy
- “Thank you brain. You are trying to protect me. I choose progress.”
- “I will send a first version. Imperfect and useful.”
- “If I am wrong, I will fix it fast.”
- “I can learn in public and still be a pro.”
- “I am building, not proving myself.”
A quick page you can print
When the voice appears, fill this:
- The critic says: “___”
- Pattern I spot: all or nothing, mind reading, label, fortune telling, catastrophe
- Facts that support: ___
- Facts that do not: ___
- Balanced line: “___”
- First small step I will take now: ___
- Time box: start ___ end ___
Feedback without the spiral
- Ask for “two things to keep, one to change.”
- Request comments on structure first, details later.
- Read feedback once. Walk. Read again.
- Pull one next step. Do it now.
Protect your day
- Start with one slice you can finish.
- Keep a visible Done list. Small wins calm the critic.
- Use a short shutdown note: “What moved. What is next.”
- Sleep. Tired brains shout louder.
For managers
- Praise clear drafts, not only polish.
- Model V1 then iterate.
- Make room for honest mistakes with learning.
- Give feedback on behavior and result, not identity.
- Say, “Safe to try. We fix fast.”
For remote teams
- Write expectations. What does “good enough” look like
- Share examples of V1, V2, final
- Use async reviews with due times
- Ban vague labels in comments. Use facts and effects.
Common traps
- Waiting for confidence before you act. Confidence comes after action.
- Seeking five opinions before you start. Ask one, then build.
- Hiding the work until perfect. Share early.
- Talking to the critic like it is truth. It is just noise.
Tiny action now
Open your current task.
Write one line the critic says.
Replace it with a kinder, truer line.
Start a ten-minute slice.
Ship a small step.
The bigger frame
Awareness helps you hear the voice.
Leadership chooses a better line.
Execution takes one small step and finishes.
The critic keeps you safe.
You keep you moving.
Choose progress.
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