Why Perfect is the Enemy

When is a project good enough? This may be one of the more difficult questions you have to wrestle with when creating. Sometimes we can be paralyzed by trying to make something perfect, so it never gets done. Or maybe it gets finished, but by the time it’s finished, it’s irrelevant. Here are a few questions I find myself working through as I’m counting the cost of the time spent to take something from great to perfect.

Does waiting to release mean missing an opportunity? In some genres, you make decisions based on what’s popular. You may choose a certain synth, guitar tone, etc, because it is “in.” But if you spend a year polishing it up, making sure the vocal takes are perfect and every drum hit is in-line, you risk releasing something that’s dated. In those situations, it would be better to release something when it’s finished. Don’t let the moment pass you by while you’re slaving over details that won’t be heard because your release is dated.

Is it worth the time and energy to take to the next level? Let’s use recording a song as an example. It usually takes about ten hours to whip a song into shape—preproduction, tracking, and mixing. Roughly ten hours, and that song could reach around 80% of its potential. To bump that up to 90%, it would take another ten hours, and from 95 to 100% another ten after that. The payoff isn’t equal to the output. I’m not saying it isn’t worth it, or even not to do it. I’m just saying know the cost. (Side note: there’s also a point where the emotional drain factors in, which makes the cost double because you lose energy.)

Does my true motive for an action benefit from perfection? For example, I’m launching a podcast right now where I interview entrepreneurs in Mississippi. My main goal is to get to know more business people in our state, and to learn from their experiences, failures, and stories. Other goals would be to become a better interviewer and for the podcast to do well. As I’ve spent time getting ready to launch, I’ve thought of ten ideas that would make the production of the podcast dynamite! It would take the podcast to another level, but it would also take about twice as much time. But what if instead I spent that time interviewing more entrepreneurs and getting to know more people? That would be more beneficial, because that coincides with my original goal, which was not to compete with Serial.

Are the flaws part of the perfection? Some of my favorite songs are those where the drummer is pulling the song along, or the guitar player is hitting a few “bonus” notes in his solo. I think of SIA’s “Eye of the Needle” (2:48), where she takes a breath in a weird place right before the biggest note of the song. It’s far from the “best” place to take the breath, but it adds so much to the energy! Sometimes, the quest for perfection steals some of the humanity and relate-ability.

It may sound like I’m pro rushing stuff or moving too quickly, but if we’ve worked together, you know that’s not the case. There are benefits to grinding out the final 5% for certain genres, songs, and personalities. There are always rewards for doing your best. My main takeaway for you would be to count the cost. George S. Patton said, "A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.” Don’t let a killer idea, song, or plan drift away because it wasn’t perfect. Take action today.