perfection | The Caleb Barney Collection

Finding the balance between striving for perfection and getting things done

We should all try our best at whatever we do, but we need to realize that our best is not perfect, and will never be perfect, no matter how much time we spend on it. Instead, we should focus our time, energy, and money on a mix between creating the minimum viable product (MVP) as quickly as possible and making adjustments based on the results/data that comes in.

Just because we think something will go according to plan, doesn’t mean that it will. If we’re inexperienced, sometimes we just don’t know what we don’t know. And even when we are experienced, sometimes there are still unexpected surprises or we feel the butterfly effect from some other event outside of our control.

So, our goal should be to know what we’re aiming for (having an end result in mind), develop a plan to get there, and execute that plan as quickly as possible. Yes, you should check your work, you should look for errors and try to avoid pitfalls when you can, but if you wait for “perfect,” it will take you a year to do something you could have achieved in a month (and it still won’t be perfect).

Get moving. Get started. Don’t wait for perfect. Pay attention to the results. Modify your actions based on your new hypothesis. Repeat.

Progress, not perfection

If you won’t remember this specific event in a week (let alone in a year or at the end of your life), then stop worrying so much about it. It’s not a big deal. Don’t blow things out of proportion.

So what if you got a B (or C, D, or F) on an assignment? Does that mean that you’ll never succeed in life?

So what that you didn’t get 8 hours of sleep? Does that mean you’re going to be a zombie the next day?

So what if your kids have some chocolate or didn’t eat the most perfectly grown, organic/non-GMO food today? Does that mean that they won’t grow and their health is now in jeopardy?

The point is, we are more resilient than most people think and so are our kids (if we let them). Don’t think that everything has to be perfect, because it won’t be – and you’ll drive yourself crazy trying to make it perfect. Go with the flow. Be nice. Treat others well. Do your best everyday. But be kind to yourself. Understand that the goal should be progress, not perfection.

Changing your perspective like this will change your life

“Nothing is perfect in life. Trying to make things perfect is the foolish mistake. It’s about trying to manage things as they are and as they come.” – Paraphrased from Andrew Santino on The Joe Rogan Experience (podcast).

There is no such thing as perfect, so don’t drive yourself crazy trying to have a “perfect” life. Life is amazing because of its imperfections. When the kids are acting up, when the dishes aren’t done, when the house is a mess and the toys aren’t put away…that’s part of the trade off of having kids. But I wouldn’t change any part about it.

Yes, we should focus on teaching them to pick up after themselves, to treat themselves and others with respect, to not throw tantrums, and to help with chores around the house, but if we only focus on what’s “wrong,” we overlook so much of what is right.

We are fortunate to have kids – so many people can’t. We are fortunate that we’re healthy – so many people aren’t. We are fortunate to call a place home – so many people are homeless. We are fortunate to have a job – so many people are jobless.

If we focus on what we don’t have, we’ll lose what’s right in front of us. And no matter how much we have, it will never seem like it’s enough. But if we focus on what we do have, we won’t even notice what we’re “missing.”

Getting things done

“If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it. The more things you do, the more you can do.” – Lucille Ball

Have you ever noticed that when you’re really busy, you don’t feel tired until after you sit down for a break?

Or have you ever noticed that when you have two months to complete a project, you finish (and usually start) the project in two months? But if that same project was due in two weeks or even in two days you would still get it done?

Just like Newton’s first law of physics says, “An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion…”

Those who are constantly doing things and making things happen (setting goals and regularly achieving them by taking consistent action) will likely continue to do so. But those who “have all the time in the world” and are not currently in motion will likely not get the task done in the timeframe you want.

This is why it’s so important to stay in motion. Just get started. We should seek progress, not perfection. Perfection is a myth we tell ourselves we are striving for, but in reality it is masking our tendencies of procrastination. Done is better than perfect. Strive for starting, making progress, and finishing a task. Don’t get distracted with the next shiny object. Start something, finish it, then move on to the next one.

Being a perfectionist…

“You’re not a perfectionist. You’re just scared.” – Gary Vaynerchuk

Don’t aim for perfection. To claim that you’re a perfectionist…it’s not funny, it’s not cute, it’s not admirable. Being a perfectionist STOPS you from achieving because nothing will ever be perfect. That’s why there’s a common phrase, “DONE is better than perfect.” Otherwise you’ll keep waiting for perfect and never get anything done…

If you really want to move forward and achieve your goals more quickly, you will do something to the best of your ability and submit it. After getting feedback of what worked and what didn’t, you’ll modify your actions – tweaking what did work to slightly improve it, and eliminating or changing what didn’t work. You’ll get those results back and continue the process.

The goal should be not to “never fail,” but instead to fail quickly. The word “fail” here is not meant to be permanent. If you fail and then never try anything again, then, yes, it’s a failure. But if you fail and use that information to get better/move you closer to your goals, it was actually a success.