My first career was as an accountant, and I still hold my designation. As an accountant, I like precision. I remember sitting in board meetings and answering questions to the decimal point. 

I remember the year that the finance department’s phrase was “good enough.” Was it good enough to make a decision? A tough concept for us accountants to embrace.  

 

Today, I understand that the board members didn’t care about the number to the decimal point. Today, I realize nothing will ever get done if I aim for perfection. Today, I’m so used to posting a blog, social media post, or lead magnate with an error that good enough is enough.  

On the wall beside my desk is what I call my command station. On this wall is my “Map” for my goals, a summary of my yearly goals, core values, and theme for the year. My vision board is up, along with my intentions. I also have motivational quotes, thank yous, and other things to motivate me. 

One of the quotes on my board is, “Done is better than perfect.” It is a reminder that even if I don’t get everything perfect, it’s0 more important to finish the task/project or post. A reminder that it’s ok to be human.  

For me, done is better than perfect doesn’t mean I’m sloppy or I don’t try my best. It means I give myself grace for errors or results that are less than expected.   It means it’s better to keep moving forward than stay stuck, trying to be perfect.  

I often have to remind my accountability group members, coaching clients, and myself that done is better than perfect.   Here are some reasons why done is better than perfect: 

1. You get things done: if you aim for perfection, your fear of mistakes and failure will mean spending too much time on something and never getting it done. It is better to get things done than to hold off for perfection. 
2. You don’t get stuck:  If you constantly fear failure and (let’s be honest) not feeling like you are enough, it’s hard to move forward. Instead of taking any action, you actually might freeze. Alternatively, good enough allows you to take action without fearing being less than. 
3. You understand that mistakes happen and can be fixed:  I was in a live training the other day, and three spelling errors were on one of the slides. The instructor apologized and admitted they put that slide tother that morning at 5:30 am. I don’t think anyone cared. We understood the content and still had a great discussion. The best part, the instructor can fix the slide for next time.  
4. You are more productive:  If you are not aiming for perfection, you will get more done. To achieve perfection means edit after edit. Review after review. Done is better than perfect allows you to create, edit, review, and be done! 
5. Save time or don’t overwork:  To make something perfect takes time. A lot of time, and this leads to tasks taking much time and likely means you will overwork to get everything done. Adopting the attitude of done is better than perfect allows you to save time or keep healthier hours. 
6. Protect your mental health: This is the most important reason why done is better than perfect. Perfectionism isn’t attainable, and it is an unreasonable expectation. An expectation that can lead to stress and burnout. You can be kinder to yourself and protect your mental health through more realistic expectations.  

Overall, done is better than perfect is a way to set healthy expectations for yourself and others, and it is a way to allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from them. 

Done is better than perfect allows you to try new things and understand and accept that you are a work in process and you cannot expect to be perfect the first time you do something. 

Putting yourself out there is hard, and we do not need to make it harder by expecting ourselves to be perfect. 

So go post that blog, stop reaching the best times to post on social media and post, and please tape that video and be ok if your editing is not perfect or you said “um.” The truth is, I’ll forget about the spelling mistake, won’t even notice the grammar error, and won’t care about the video quality, but the content may be what I need to hear.  

What will you do today with the idea that done is better than perfect?  

Perfectionism is a self-destructive and addictive belief system that fuels the primary thought: if I look perfect and do everything perfectly, I can avoid or minimize the painful feelings of shame, judgment and blame

Brene Brown

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