My goodness. You’ve just written my life story…with a few tweaks. I actually got the book published. Even after having had a key critical review, it ended up containing a rather glaring error…on page 67, if burning memory serves.
What might have seemed the end of my world was sorted with a discrete errata stick-on label on the offending page.
Came to find it wasn’t the end of the world. My hurt pride recovered. Life goes on, and the project continues, according to God’s will, not mine. Quitting early would have avoided the lessons in humility Our Lord had prepared for me.
That's exactly it: "Life goes on, and the project continues, according to God’s will, not mine.". With that in mind, we're much more willing to take risks, and aim for good enough so we can learn by doing, without waiting for things to be perfect. Glad the article resonated with you! What's the name of your book?
Your take on the difference between starting and actually bringing something to completion hits on something people tend to overlook. There is a kind of responsibility in closure, a willingness to offer work to the world even when it carries the marks of human limitation. That part resonates with me on a level that goes beyond productivity talk.
What stands out is how easily people get lost in preparation. It’s almost like a strange comfort, because planning feels safer than risking judgment. I’ve known that trap too. The tricky part is that some preparation is genuinely useful, but once it becomes a way to avoid commitment, it eats the very energy that gave birth to the idea. I find it healthier to treat a project like a living thing that grows in stages. At each stage, it deserves to be given away, not trapped in an endless workshop.
So true, I think in most cases "perfectionism" is just a mask for fear of judgment/criticism. It's way easier to perpetually tweak and "put the final touches" on something, than just releasing it to the world with the risk that it entails.
I think this advice is never given out enough. Beyond a certain threshold, where our mastery of a given skill is clearly limited, additional effort and time will give only a marginal return on the effort invested. Yet, that threshold moves up,with every piece of work that we produce. Long-term experience across multiple pieces beats one experience of a long project.
Spot on brother. Especially considering that there's a lot of things that you can exclusively learn AFTER publishing and getting feedback from the real people who engage with your project after it's released.
My goodness. You’ve just written my life story…with a few tweaks. I actually got the book published. Even after having had a key critical review, it ended up containing a rather glaring error…on page 67, if burning memory serves.
What might have seemed the end of my world was sorted with a discrete errata stick-on label on the offending page.
Came to find it wasn’t the end of the world. My hurt pride recovered. Life goes on, and the project continues, according to God’s will, not mine. Quitting early would have avoided the lessons in humility Our Lord had prepared for me.
That's exactly it: "Life goes on, and the project continues, according to God’s will, not mine.". With that in mind, we're much more willing to take risks, and aim for good enough so we can learn by doing, without waiting for things to be perfect. Glad the article resonated with you! What's the name of your book?
Ah…The Way of the Rosary, From “Yes” to the Great Feast. Thank you for asking. Check out Walking With My Brother by Mary Adrienne on Substack.
Your take on the difference between starting and actually bringing something to completion hits on something people tend to overlook. There is a kind of responsibility in closure, a willingness to offer work to the world even when it carries the marks of human limitation. That part resonates with me on a level that goes beyond productivity talk.
What stands out is how easily people get lost in preparation. It’s almost like a strange comfort, because planning feels safer than risking judgment. I’ve known that trap too. The tricky part is that some preparation is genuinely useful, but once it becomes a way to avoid commitment, it eats the very energy that gave birth to the idea. I find it healthier to treat a project like a living thing that grows in stages. At each stage, it deserves to be given away, not trapped in an endless workshop.
So true, I think in most cases "perfectionism" is just a mask for fear of judgment/criticism. It's way easier to perpetually tweak and "put the final touches" on something, than just releasing it to the world with the risk that it entails.
I think this advice is never given out enough. Beyond a certain threshold, where our mastery of a given skill is clearly limited, additional effort and time will give only a marginal return on the effort invested. Yet, that threshold moves up,with every piece of work that we produce. Long-term experience across multiple pieces beats one experience of a long project.
Spot on brother. Especially considering that there's a lot of things that you can exclusively learn AFTER publishing and getting feedback from the real people who engage with your project after it's released.
"Start fast. Finish fast." I've never had it put that way, but that really puts everything into perspective, doesn't it?
Absolutely, that's a good way to go about it.
Yes to good enough. There are studies that show it can take as many resources to get from 80-85% to 95-98% done/ perfect.
Yeah, and the funny things is that at 85% nearly every project will be almost indistinguishable than at 95%