Done, imperfectly

“Well, if you don’t have time to do it right, what makes you think you’ll have time to do it over?” – Seth Godin, Purple Cow Your work isn’t perfect.

And it doesn’t need to be. Yet it still needs to get done.

• “Done, imperfectly” = Done. Next comes refinery & optimization.
• “Not done but perfecting” = Not Done. Next comes procrastination.
• “Not done right” = Not Done. Next comes a redo, if the opportunity stands.

As team members and individuals, whenever we do tasks or assume responsibilities, we should remember in a pinch that:

• “Done, imperfectly” is the best of the three. Reply to the client right away. Get the product to market. Make the sales call. Imperfectly.
• Opportunities aren’t forever: If the client is compelled to look elsewhere, the product runs out of funding, or the lead goes cold, ‘perfect’ was too late.
• “Done, imperfectly” is rare. Despite “perfecting”-ers” failing just as fast as  “not done right”-ers, in a pinch.

What do you need to get done, imperfectly, today?