“The perfect is the enemy of the good.”
We all love getting stuff done - the sense of accomplishment; the relief that it isn’t bugging us anymore; ticking a box. So why do some of us have such trouble with this. Is it “perfectionism” or “laziness” or what … I have certainly struggled with getting-it-right blocking me from simply doing something. When I remember the principle of “progress not perfection” I can get unblocked.
The New York Times Smarter Living column by Tim Herrera from July has some thoughts on this topic, It’s Never Going to Be Perfect, So Just Get It Done.
Essentially, we (I) need to stop obsessing about being perfect and just get something out there. Herrera suggests something he calls “the Mostly Fine Decision.” Often I don’t know fully what I need anyway, and that missing information is unlikely to show up until I show someone what I have so far. Of course, it helps to be as clear as possible about what is needed to successfully complete a chore once I start (full kit). And having a picture of the goal is great too (what does “done” look like). But doing SOMETHING is better than doing nothing.