Note to Self — Episode 15

Perfection is the enemy of good

This phrase has been squirreling around my head for a couple of weeks now.

I’m a bit of a procrastinator. Sometimes I procrastinate because I’m not interested in whatever it is that needs doing — think filing and admin — other times because it’s not urgent and I can hold off for a while.

But mainly I procrastinate because knowing how to start is very different from knowing how to finish.

Making sure that it is the best it possibly can be, that I have covered all the angles, understood every single potential flaw, every potential gap and closing them up is something I have to make sure I’ve done.

And what that can mean, when I’m building a financial model or constructing a pitch deck, is that I let perfect become the enemy of good.

For almost any project, good is good enough — and if it’s not, it’s a place to improve from and upon.

The worst thing is to let the illusion of perfection get in the way of putting pen to paper, formula to spreadsheet or brush to canvas.

So from now on, rather than letting perfection be the enemy of good, I’m going to let good light the pathway towards perfection.