Most business messages these days are always about do your best, be the best, etc. Like many people, I internalized this message.  While striving for the best and perfection sounds great, the consequence is perfection paralysis.  With perfection paralysis, you think “I don’t know enough or have the skills or the time to do it perfectly, so there’s no point in even starting right now.”

This is flawed. Every activity does not require perfection. Embrace good enough. There are times, we naturally embrace good enough. For example, the last time you were caught without an umbrella in the rain. Did you go off in search of the perfect umbrella – checking consumer reviews, analyzing fabric strength, etc.? No, you ducked into the closest shop and purchased the first umbrella you saw. One that was good enough.

I began to embrace good enough around 3 years ago and have seen my productivity soar. The beauty of good enough is that it doesn’t require the time, energy, or effort of perfect. There is no need to stress about or procrastinate when the goal is to do something good enough. Good enough is freeing.

Good enough is not permission to slack off but rather it’s a call to action. Good enough invites persistence. The goal is to take action free of future judgment on those actions. By making some activities good enough, you will free up time and energy for activities that require intense focus.

It has been ironic. Since giving myself permission to embrace good enough for some projects, the quality of my work on other projects has improved.

To Think About:

An old adage about writing goes “ you can’t create and edit at the same time.”

I believe:

You can’t create and be perfect at the same time.

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