https://unsplash.com/@d_mccullough
I’ve written before about learning to let go of perfect, which is why I’m excited to spend some more time with this idea. Lately I’ve been practicing a version of this ‘done not perfect’ mantra. When I’m working on drafts of reports, outlines of presentations, or other projects in their early phases, I’ve been working on letting go of perfection because they are drafts.
This lesson has been really helpful for a few reasons.
If I work really, really hard on perfecting a draft of something, it’s bound to come back to me with revisions anyway—because it’s a draft. So in cases when part of the process is to submit something for your boss to edit or for your peers to make comments, then just let it go. You’ll be interrupting the process if you try to put out a final work of perfection instead of anticipating the feedback. In this case, working toward perfection is futile—not just because it doesn’t exist—but because if you make your draft near perfect, where can you grow? How is there room for others to help you develop your work? And isn’t it a waste of time to go down the path of perfection when there is a chance that someone’s response to what you’ve produced might push you in an entirely new direction?
Revel in the glory of the draft. It’s not meant to be your most complete, finalized work. It’s meant to show a direction. So stop wasting your time getting it to perfect, and instead put your energy into something else, like taking a quick break for a kitten bowl recap. You're welcome.
Tell us how ‘done not perfect’ is impacting your life in the comments below.