Progress Over Perfection: How to Stop Getting in Your Own Way
Someone responded to my e-newsletter last week (where I told a story about spending too much time making something perfect that didn’t actually matter) and thanked me for normalizing progress over perfection.
A) It was so nice to hear that someone actually appreciated my rambling intro, and
B) It was advice that I would use myself later that week.
I spent TWO HOURS attempting to film a video for an Instagram story, only for it to end up in the ‘deleted’ folder because I couldn’t get it quite right.
Showing up in their stories is something I ask my clients to do, yet it’s a massive roadblock for me and I got so down on myself for failing at something that I’m “supposed” to be good at.
And then my husband gently reminded me that I could post the same message in a carousel post.
My knee-jerk reaction was “But I have to do it this way to get the impact I’m looking for.” and then that same message from earlier in the week started flashing in my brain like a neon sign: Progress over Perfection.
Sure, a live video of me in my sweats might be the quintessential raw, relatable vibe I’m aiming for, but if it’s going to take me hours to execute, is it really worth it?? And the answer is no, absolutely not. But I can throw a carousel graphic together in 15 minutes and I know for a fact it looks and sounds awesome. The message gets delivered, and I still have time to knock out a social media calendar for a client during my kid’s nap.
So, here’s me passing along this lesson I’m learning to you: Get out of your own way. No one is expecting you to tackle every single aspect of your business or organization flawlessly. So why are you expecting that from yourself? Of course you are technically capable of coming up with content for your social media feeds. But how long does it take you to get to a point where you feel like it’s ‘good enough’, and can you actually spare that time? What is getting pushed aside while you’re stuck chasing perfect?
Here are some ways you can begin the process of embracing progress over perfection along with me:
1.There’s always another way.
I’m not ashamed to say that this line from a song in Moana 2 has come up in my business (and parenting) countless times in the last year. There’s always another way. If one thing isn’t working (filming a live video) try a different way (a carousel) so you can check it off your list. Circle back to the video again another day.
2.Delegate that sh*t.
Every time-sucking task that makes you want to pull out your hair and throw your computer across the room (just me?) is a pain point that someone else is an expert at tackling. Let them. Progress doesn’t mean doing everything yourself; it means moving things forward in the smartest way possible. Your energy is better spent on the parts of your business only you can do.
3.Remember that nobody is perfect.
Instead of trying to maintain perfection in a world where AI can whip up a flawless result in mere seconds, embrace the part of you that makes you relatable. Flawed. Human.
We’re all floating around on the same big rock trying to figure out how to trade less time for more money, and I guarantee you out of progress and perfection, the latter is not going to get us there. So if you’ve been stuck in your own version of perfection-land lately, consider this your permission slip to let it go. Post the thing. Hire the VA. Send the email. It doesn’t have to be flawless to matter.
