Done is better than Perfection

My favorite career principle which I live by

Apr 07, 2024

Perfectionism means setting extremely high standards for yourself and ace in everything you are doing. You won’t stop until you are completely satisfied with your end results.

While it might sound cool to be a Mr. Perfectionist, but it often brings stress and self-criticism. Ever met someone who seems to ace everything? They might be perfectionists, but it's not all easy.

In my initial years, I have had really bad experiences when I optimized for perfection.

I was working on a cloud project which was about developing a prototype using AWS APIs.
I spent weeks writing and polishing my design docs, work on it till I feel everyone will like it. I made some assumptions and never asked if they were right. I wanted the first version of the doc to be perfect.
This delayed project when the reviewers pointed out and got a constructive feedback that I should have flagged earlier and not waited this much

I know it is always a trade-off and we don’t want to move too fast and deliver a poor quality product. But now, my decision making frameworks mostly prefer progress over perfection.

The world values production more than perfection

Take Baby Steps

Imagine you're tasked with implementing a major new feature, but the complexity of the project feels overwhelming. Instead of getting stuck, you should break it down into smaller tasks. You should focus on completing one feature at a time, even if it's just a small improvement. This will build the momentum and will lead to eventual success

Functional Code > Perfect Code

You're working on the feature, and you find yourself optimizing every little detail, trying to achieve perfection. However, deadlines are near, and your team needs results. You need to realize the importance of delivering functional code over perfect code. You need to understand that minor imperfections can be improved later through iterations and updates.

Stay Flexible

Software projects rarely go exactly as planned. Projects get deprioritized, bugs pop up, requirements change, and deadlines loom. Instead of sticking too rigidly to your original plan, be practical and adapt as needed. Find solutions that work and keep the project moving forward.

Accepting Imperfection

Recognize that perfection is often unattainable and that it's okay for your work to have flaws. By accepting imperfection, you free yourself from the paralysis of perfectionism and can focus on delivering results. Focus on building a working product, get feedback and iterate. Software Engineering is a multi-player game, so don’t try to do everything yourself.

Learn and Grow

You don't have to be perfect at everything. Keep learning from others, like through code reviews or working with a peer. Stay open to feedback and keep improving your skills. Learn the art of learning and optimize for growth rather than obsessing over being perfect.

Celebrate Milestones

Don't wait for perfection before celebrating progress. Recognize the little victories along the way and appreciate the effort you and your team put in. Focus on the journey, not just the end result, to keep everyone motivated and excited about the work.

The graph below is taken from antonantonio.blogspot.com which explains the “Law of Diminishing Returns” and the importance of knowing “When to Stop”.