Done is better than perfect

Perfect! Wouldn’t it be nice if things, everything, was just perfect? That idea that we’ve just worked our butt off to turn into reality, now parked somewhere until we deemed it to be perfect to let it see the light of day; how cool would it be if only we could see it for the perfection it already has? Oh, yes, that too would be perfect!

What does it mean to be perfect? 

Lacking nothing essential to the whole; complete of its nature or kind.

That’s the first entry in the Free Dictionary for perfect; and it continues in a similar manner. So when did perfect become this unattainable utopia that makes us not get things done?

I don’t know, but I’m here to end it. Reading the definition above, the key word is essential. Something is perfect when there is nothing essential missing. How often do we say a day was just perfect? Or a particularly delicious meal? Or a fantastic dress? And are they? I mean, are they really? Possibly not, but they made us happy and smiley to the point nothing else could compare there and then. So I vouch for reclaiming the true meaning of perfect and let it rule!

As I work towards launching a business, I’m more and more aware of the need to let go of this utopia of perfection and really learn when to let something dictionary-perfect fly free to the wider world. I will not compromise on quality of product, successful businesses cannot. But I can compromise on other smaller things; things that only I care about or see or even know exist. What they care about is clear communication and getting things done.

It’s not just professionally that utopia-perfection can hinder you. Oh no! Having this utopian view of perfection can make you less confident in your daily life or slow you down with your hobbies. I say that because I used to be like that. It took me a while to reach this point where I see perfect for what it is. Two things have made me embrace dictionary-perfect – crafts and working in event management.

Sewing and knitting are possibly the best teachers when it comes to learning to accept things for the current perfection in them. Just recently, I have been working on a baby quilt for my newborn god-daughter. I picked the fabrics, I drooled over their cuteness, I cut them into neat squares and began the loving journey that is sewing it all together. Turns out, when you have neat squares sewn into neat rows which will eventually make neat columns… they don’t always align! I know, shock horror. Surely if you’ve done it all just so, they must align just so. Well, they don’t always; they do most of the time, but not always. I took a deep breath and I lay it on a bed. I looked at it from a distance, and then from up close, and then from a distance, and then I photographed it, and made Michael look at it and… we couldn’t really see these previously enormous mis-alignments. In the grand scheme of things, they were not grand at all. Big lesson to baby – life isn’t just so, life is; better get that in there early.

Working with event management has helped immensely too; my key focus is that everyone who interacts with us has a positive experience, and preferably a better day. Everything else is an accessory. And from my experience, it is and it works.

As I thought about spreading the word on dictionary-perfect and ‘done is better than perfect’, I made a list on what has helped me. Hopefully, you can find a few relevant things there too.

1. Look at your creation (and marvel!). What is it about it that makes it not perfect? Is it essential? Is it SO obvious it’s the first thing anyone would notice about it? If the answer to the two previous questions is no… You’re good to go.
2. Manage your expectations. Most of our work comes out of a plan of sorts; and sometimes, the finished piece differs from that initial sketch. Accepting it for what it is now, rather than what we expected it to be, is often the key to freedom – both yours and your creations!
3. Gather perspective. Consider the bigger picture – done is better than perfect, and the odds are your work is pretty perfect as is. Detach yourself from your masterpiece and see it from a distance. Does it work from where you’re standing now? Is it pretty cool? Then set it free.
   If not, go back to point 1.
4. Have it checked by others, honest blunt others. Often you’ll find you are much harsher on your creations than other people will be, or you would ever be with others’ work for that matter. It’s good to be self-critical and thrive to improve. It’s good to have standards. It’s not good to never finish projects. It’s not good to keep everything you do in a drawer or computer folder waiting for… nothing, really; or worst, that someone does it to lower standards and succeeds… oh yeah!
5. Leave room for improvement. Perfect is an evolving concept; what you absolutely love today may not suit tomorrow or the day after. Enjoy what you have created here and now. Then, when the time comes, change it to its new perfect and make the most of your double win.

Have you found yourself thinking about done vs perfect? What were your conclusions? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear your ideas