The Paralysis Of Perfection

Done is better than perfect

There’s a story that’s told of a pottery class that was divided into two groups. Group 1 was asked to make a pot everyday for 30 days, while Group 2 was asked to make 1 single pot in 30 days. Which group do you think produced the best pots?

You guessed it! It was Group 1.

As the saying goes ‘practice makes perfect’ and ‘experience is the best teacher’. It’s only by doing something over and over again that we get good and eventually attain mastery. (the compounding effect)

When starting out, don’t worry about how it will be perceived or getting every single detail right, just get going! Focus more on quantity (while incorporating marginal gains) than quality. As Ali Abdaal, one of my favourite youtubers would say: First Get Going then Get Good then Get Smart.

Don’t let the need and desire to get things right all the time stop you from following that dream or completing that project. Don’t let the need for perfection paralyze you from getting things done.

I’ll leave you with one of my favourite quotes from the author of Big Magic. In this case, the author spoke about writing, but you can insert any project or task that comes to mind.

All this to echo that it is never that serious. That doesn’t mean don’t give your best, it just means that you put your work out there and move on. No need to sweat the small stuff or obsess over every single negative review. Just get it done, take the relevant learnings and move on to the next challenge. #ProgressOverPerfection

I wish you all the best in this joint battle against perfection.

Until next time,

#ChooseToThrive