Good News / Bad News... It Will Never Be Perfect, But It Can Be Done!

I decided to write an article about getting things done and not worrying about perfection and found myself in need of my own advice...

I like to think that I subscribe to the idea that "good enough" is good enough. Sure it's important to do a good job and make sure there are no major mistakes or omissions but for the most part get it done and get it out.

The topic of "done is better than perfect" came up during one of my 3C's boot camp group calls. It really hit a nerve for a lot of the participants so I decided to write an article about it. I wrote two paragraphs and said to myself, "Never mind, I'm not feeling inspired and am not happy with this." I proceeded to close the document I was working in without saving my work.

Almost immediately I realized how hypocritical I was being...

The message I suddenly heard was...Stop waiting for the perfect mix of inspiration, time and energy. Because when you wait for perfection whatever you are working on will never get done. DUH!

So, if done is better than perfect why not send out an imperfect article? Here it goes...

The quest for perfection will freeze you.

I have a client who was getting ready to launch a new website. We came up with a plan of action but week after week she'd come to our calls and say "One more week, I just have to tweak something." Sure her site was getting a little better but because she kept tweaking and polishing she was missing leads and business.

I have another client who was spending a lot of time networking and meeting new people. He was looking for the perfect contact management system. He considered several systems but kept finding a flaw or two. Bottom line...he wasn't staying in touch with anyone because he couldn't find the perfect system. His networking efforts were great, but in his quest for perfection his follow up system was non-existent so the leads were sitting in a pile on his desk going nowhere.

How about your own education and training? Many people tell me that they just need one more class or a few more letters after their name before they can move forward with their business. I'm telling you right now that you already know enough. You'll never know everything about your field but you already know more than your potential clients do and you can already be of service to them.

So what can you do?

Here are five questions to ask yourself to help you determine when something is good enough.

1. What is really expected of you or the project you are working on?
2. What would you consider appropriate if someone else were doing the project instead of you?
3. What is the goal of the project and is there some other way to achieve the goal?
4. If I only did half of the "to-do's" on the project list what would be the result?
5. How much return am I going to get on the additional effort I'm considering putting in?
Here's what you need to know...when you wait for something to be perfect not only are you and your business suffering but you're also holding back your talents from those who need you and your services the most.

Okay...this article is good enough. If I've misspelled something, missed a comma or left out an entire idea that's just the way it is. Enough said!