If you’re a blogger, no doubt, at some point you will have seen the phrase “done is better than perfect” being thrown around. I remember the first time I came across it, I thought it was brilliant, but now, I’m not so sure. I am sure this post will split opinions but I also think I can’t be the only one who questions this phrase at times.
What Does the Phrase Actually Mean
In essence, the phrase is meant to tell you not to let the fear of something being less than perfect (because often perfection is an impossibility) stop you from putting yourself out there. I love that. I love everything it encompasses. Fear of not being good enough stops so many people from really putting themselves out there, and most times, the fear is completely unfounded.
So How is That a Bad Thing?
It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but is the phrase being interpreted correctly or is it telling us to make less effort? Is it telling us on a sub-conscious level that we don’t need to try as hard? That we don’t even have to attempt to release something that’s perfect?
In short, is it making us complacent?
Is it, at times, making us put things out there that really aren’t ready for the world to see? An unedited book. A course with too many gaps for someone to follow it properly. A blog post that we know in our heart of hearts could have been so much better if we’d spent more on time on it. But we didn’t spend the extra time on it, because done is better than perfect right?
Is Done Better Than Perfect Then?
In short, no, not really.
Done and polished to the best version you can make it is better than striving for something unattainable and becoming afraid to ever release anything. I whole heartedly believe that.
But just done? No.
Don’t sell yourself short by calling something done when you know it’s not ready. It can be tempting to release something too soon when you’re passionate about it, and excited to share it with the world. But try to rein yourself in a little and ask yourself if it really is ready to be seen by other people.
Ask yourself what you want people to see when you release something:
The girl who thought “that’ll do” or the girl who put in the time to make something amazing.
Please don’t be the person who strives for mediocrity. Be the person who strives for, not perfect per se, but the best version of your product, as it is ultimately a reflection on you and your core values. It’s also a reflection, to some extent, on how you view your consumers, and most consumers will know whether or not the time and effort has gone into making something polished.
It All Comes Down to Interpretation
As I said at the start of the post, a lot of it comes down to your interpretation of the phrase and what it means.
If you see it as “This is the best version of this I can ever produce. It might not be 100% perfect, but it’s done to the best of my ability and I’m proud of it.” then yes, done is better than perfect, release that thing!
If you see it as “It’s not ready yet, but it’ll do” then no, done isn’t better than perfect. Put the work in and release something you can truly be happy with.
For the record, this isn’t a dig at anyone who uses the phrase. Hell I’ve probably said it myself at some point. And yes, I’ve probably used it as an excuse to put something out there that really wasn’t ready to be out there too.
What do you think? Am I over thinking this or being too cynical, or do you think sometimes the phrase encourages people to be complacent at times? Let me know in the comments 🙂
You can find me here: Twitter Facebook Bloglovin Pinterest and Instagram Please do stop by and say hi!
I think your over thinking this xx
Haha I probably am! x
DONE to the best of my ability – perfection not always necessary
If it’s done to the best of your ability, than I’m inclined to agree.
I think that like most advice, it’s meant for the people it works for, isn’t meant for the people it doesn’t work for, and has the potential to be misused.
I wish there was a way of protecting words from people who want to twist them to less constructive ends, by finding the exact, perfect way of expressing something. But I don’t think there is one; I reckon anything can be twisted. I find that incredibly frustrating, and have shifted my focus from refining wording past a certain – fairly precise – point, to calling out the people twisting it.
What you’ve written here works in that way too, though. It’s as much as we can do, and is worth doing, in my opinion. I like how you’ve expressed the different ways people use this saying, positive and negative.
Yes, I think anything can be twisted to suit a person’s own narrative and no matter how it is worded, those people will misinterpret it.
Thanks so much for this. It is something I have pondered. Thanks for pointing things out. #Anythinggoes.
I totally agree with what you’re saying. Some people will use this phrase as an excuse to not do as well on something – but I’m hoping they are in the minority. I will say, I have a tendency to become irritated when I find typos in blog posts. I can brush off one or two here and there (I still find them in my own posts from time to time!), plus there’s always a bit of weirdness when it comes to English from other countries – but repeat errors due to basic edit oversights show when someone can’t be bothered. #AnythingGoes
Yes, same here, although I did still find errors in my posts too – it’s always easier to spot mistakes in someone else’s stuff, or of course your own after you’ve hit publish lol.
I completely understand the sentiment. But you’re right if it isn’t done done, you’re selling yourself short from something that could have been amazing. I believe there is a point where something is good enough.
#AnythingGoes
Yes, I think it’s about knowing where that line is and having the confidence to go when you hit it.
In the past, I have, many times, allowed the fear of not being good enough stopped me from putting myself out there. Looking back, the fear was completely unfounded.
#AnythingGoes
I think most times, that fear is completely unfounded and just our way of holding ourselves back.
I ask ‘can I live with it?’ instead haha xx
Haha love that you have your own version of it x
I’m guilty of this, of rushing a post or throwing out something that isn’t all that interesting just to get something out there without there being too much time in between. Never really figured out an answer to the problem though #anythinggoes
If you do figure out the answer, let me know haha
I’ve seen quite a few indie writers claim that hiring an editor is a waste of money, and it makes me cringe. I get it–we’re expensive. But it’s impossible to find all the mistakes in your own work. Hell, even a professional editor isn’t going to catch everything.
There’s a reason big publishers have several editors working on releases, and even then, mistakes get through.
I think that, as in all things, moderation is key. Do the best job you can, but don’t be so crippled by the idea of perfection that you don’t do anything at all.
Tonight I noticed that a space between the headline and the copy on a revised release’s back cover would look a tiny bit better. I’d already been through multiple drafts with the cover artist. I was tired. I’m sure she was tired. I said screw it. But a typo? That’s always worth fixing.
Totally – mistakes in someone else’s stuff just jump out at you, but never in your own. At least not until after it’s been printed haha. I think I could live without that space after multiple rounds too.
As someone who has pretty much devastated a lot of my life with perfectionism, I find the phrase helpful but equally slap-dash really is not good enough. Good to question these things from time to time #AnythingGoes
It’s all about balance I guess 🙂
Excellent points, Debbie. It isn’t always easy to find the balance in any situation!
Hey Debs. Just read this, i was very intrigued as it’s definitely something I’ve heard lots since I started blogging. Love your words, I think you put it perfectly. I think i like a decision of it’s ready and I’m going for it but never going for it because ‘it’ll do’….a great read. Thanks doll.
Sam xxxx
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed the post x
I am someone who has suffered with the plague of a “perfectionist” personality, so I totally understand the paralysis by analysis. I have a never-ending list of things to do because it hasn’t been completed perfectly.
This phrase has helped me try to move-away from that perfectionist tendency and try to get some stuff out in a timely manner.
However, I still abhor poor quality work and when I see something like that, I also picture someone saying “done is better than perfect” and just throwing it out there.
So while it might be semantic, I think a better phrase is “Well done is better than perfect”.
Yes, well done is better than perfect is definitely an improvement
Yes…no…both.
I definitely see your point, and we should not settle. But sometimes dotting every I and such can make us crazy! Do we have to equal a perfect SEO score, or is our post written from the heart, and good, just not rankable? So many things to consider, and I do think about this.
You have to know what kind of person you are. Don’t settle but don’t let perfection keep you back.