Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, famously said, “If you’re happy with what you’ve launched, you’ve left it too late.”
For those of us who like to aim for perfection, here’s a tip: Don’t. Why?
Aiming for perfection often means we hold onto things for too long when we should be moving on to other jobs.
When it comes to copywriting, we can sit with something and tinker with it for hours, moving a full stop here, and adding a word there. I do this myself and I have to stop and ask myself – ‘Will this tinkering make a measurable difference to the copy?’ If not, then let it go. Press ‘send’ and wish it well.
If you struggle with completing work, try putting up a sign above your computer saying, ‘FINISH’ or ‘COMPLETE’ to remind you that you need to draw that line in the sand and close out the task.
This is tough for many writers as they see perfectionism as a desirable quality. It’s not really.
Perfection is the enemy of done. Just finish it and move on.
Action: If you struggle with perfectionism, write the words FINISH or COMPLETE on a post-it note and paste it above your computer.
