Consistent Effort > Elusive Perfectionism
The trap of waiting for the perfect moment
Perfectionism carries a tempting promise. It whispers that if we just plan a little more, wait for just the right moment, or find the flawless approach, we will create something magnificent without any mistakes.
But this pursuit of a flawless outcome usually leads to the opposite of what we want: it leads to inaction. The fear of not being perfect keeps us from starting at all.
What if we traded the pursuit of perfection for the practice of consistent, daily effort?
Consistent effort is a commitment to the process of doing, with the understanding that learning and improvement happen through imperfect action in the real world.
When we prioritize consistent daily effort, we get to:
- Build Momentum: Small, imperfect steps create a forward motion that perfectionism stalls. A single line of code/prose written today is infinitely more valuable than the perfect app/book that exists only in our mind.
- Create Learning Opportunities: We can start learning from our imperfect work as soon as others have a chance to engage with it, and give us feedback.
- Lower the Pressure: The pressure to be perfect is immense. The pressure to simply show up and put in a consistent effort for a few hours (or even a few minutes) is manageable. This makes it easier to start and to keep going.
- Develop Resilience: Perfectionism is brittle; it shatters at the first sign of a flaw. Consistency is resilient; it teaches us to adapt, revise, and continue moving forward even when things don't go as expected.
Perfectionism is fixated on an idealized final product. Consistent action finds value in the real, evolving process that leads to lifelong growth.
In what one area are you waiting for 'perfect' before you begin, and what one tiny, imperfect step could you take today to get started?
In process,
/rajesh
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Obviously the worry for perfectionists is that they will be presenting an under finished product/service, and will turn away what COULD have been a potential customer because they didn't spend a little more time bettering the product/service. Do you have some kind of "measuring stick" (maybe a set of questions) that help you decide when your product/service is "good enough" for public release? (while you continue making improvements)
Thank you for the response. You have asked a crucial question which pinpoints the exact tension:
We want to avoid perfectionism, but we also care about quality and don't want to disappoint anyone.
You asked for a "measuring stick." I think the most effective measure is simply whether the product is useful.
Here are three questions I ask my team to consider when we need to decide if something is ready to be released (while we continue to improve it):
1) Does it solve 80% of the core problem?
Even if it's not pretty or feature-complete, does it actually do the main thing it promises? If yes, it's good enough to release.
2) Is the cost of waiting higher than the cost of an imperfection?
It can help to ask: "Is the value we are withholding from people by not releasing this, greater than the annoyance of not perfectly polished product?" Often, people would rather have an imperfect solution now than a perfect one never. Especially, if it's not a hardware product (car, phone, other one-time purchases) and is a service (software, membership, cafe, other repeat transactions) where continuous improvement is the norm.
3) Can we learn more from releasing it than from polishing it?
At a certain point, we hit a wall where we're just guessing what people want. Releasing it right now turns those guesses into real data. If we need feedback to make the next meaningful improvement, it's time to ship it.
We don't need to think of our release as a "final exam" but as the start of a conversation with our customers to build trust and loyalty over time.
Essentially, we are inviting them into a process of continuous improvement -- collaborating with them to shape our product.
Does that help?
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