Perfectionism is inherently tied to incoherence of thought, because a thought that is perfect in design leads to a perfect resulting action, and "perfectionism" refers to someone that is not taking perfect actions. A perfectionist is often making reactive changes or additions to address specific criticisms, without demonstrating performance at developing or finishing the project as a whole.

Digital technologies are flypaper for perfectionists because they enable a lack of commitment: everything is one undo or abstraction layer away.