Good enough went out on timeEveryday life

unbry

Good enough went out on time

A short book about perfectionism, and the idea that high standards are what's slowing you down

18 chapters12,376 wordsAbout 56 minFirst edition

What's inside

·Before you startThis is a short book and you can read it in two or three sittings. It's about one habit. You finish a piece of work, and then you keep working on it. You…2 min
1Twenty to midnightIt's twenty to midnight on a Tuesday and you're at the kitchen table with your laptop. On the screen is a two-page summary for Thursday's team meeting.…3 min
2What the polishing is forIf someone told you to stop polishing, you'd probably feel they were asking you to stop caring. That reaction deserves a proper hearing before I argue…3 min
3"My standards are what make me good"This is the belief that holds the whole habit in place, so I'll take it first. It goes like this. I do good work because I'm a perfectionist. The long…3 min
4"The extra hours make it better"Surely, though, the extra passes improve the work a bit. Even if fear is driving them, the result is a better document. That seems obvious, and it's…3 min
5"They'll think less of me"Behind most polishing is a forecast. If this goes out with a flaw in it, someone will notice, and they'll revise their opinion of me downwards. The…3 min
6"I'd rather not send it at all"So far I've written about work that goes out late. There's a quieter version of the habit, and it costs more. Some things never go out. There's the job…3 min
7"Nothing I finish feels finished"You might expect the polishing to end in satisfaction. Eventually the piece is as good as you can make it, and surely at that moment there's a reward. If…3 min
8"If it isn't right, it's wrong"Perfectionism marks work in two categories. A thing is right, or it's wrong. There's no grade for good, or fine, or did the job. Anything short of the top…3 min
9"It's quicker to do it myself"The habit doesn't stay inside your own work. Sooner or later it reaches the people around you. Your colleague drafts the client letter and you rewrite it…3 min
10What the polishing costsThe costs have come up one at a time. Here they are together, since a bill is easier to judge when it's added up. Most of this chapter is my own reckoning…3 min
11"Without it I'd get sloppy"This is the fear that keeps most people polishing long after they've seen what it costs. If I stop checking everything five times, mistakes will get…4 min
12Deciding what done looks likeThe practical part of this book has two halves. This chapter is the first. It takes about two minutes per piece of work, and it happens before you start.…3 min
13One check, then sendThe second half of the method is what happens at the end. You've done the work within the time you gave it, and it meets the three or four lines you wrote…3 min
14The decisionThis chapter asks you to decide something. It comes late because at the start it would have sounded like advice to stop caring, and you'd have been right…3 min
15Hard bosses, real stakes and bad weeksThe method is simple. Some situations aren't, and I should be plain about them. If your boss really does pounce on small things. Some do. If yours sends…4 min
16Thursday againHere's a scene from some months later. It's an example of how things might go, and I'm not promising it. It's a Monday morning and your manager has asked…2 min
·NotesThis book gives general information. It isn't medical or psychological advice, and it's no substitute for a doctor or therapist who knows your situation.…5 min

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