There’s a balance, it may be a fine line even but it exists between enoughness and perfection. The thing is your perfect and someone else’s perfect maybe poles apart. We all know the 80/20 rule where the last 20% often takes more than 80% of the effort but what’s the last 20%? If its refinement as opposed to the difference between something working and not then what’s the real value? After all that’s where version control comes into play.
Here’s five reasons why accepting enough makes a difference…
- Your level of knowledge as the expert is greater than 95% of the people who read your article, see your presentation etc. To be factually correct, present the information in a way that people can understand, and then use it, is the key. Only you will know the difference between the final version and one written several hours ago. Use that extra time to do the next main thing.
- If you have the same attitude re the work done by others in the business it makes a difference. It’s not about letting standards slip but accepting that to do any more adds no additional value. This makes a difference to how others work and their connection and commitment to the output.
- I’m all for going the extra mile for a client but again there’s a balance between delivering what they’ve asked for, giving added value, and delivering on time or even early. If you’ve delivered exactly as agreed and can deliver early so the client gets even more benefit isn’t that better than delivering what you think is something even better but just in time?
- The difference between perfection and enough is very subjective: there are times that even your perfect may not be enough in someone else’s opinion. When you want to do that bit extra stop and ask yourself why? Who am I really doing it for me or them?
- If you think that improvements can be made then deliver as agreed but discuss with the client what you see the next stage would be… see if they agree, there maybe other things that they would to add/change/improve on so it can be a version 2 that’s agreed and funded.
So don’t settle for second best but recognise what’s enough, even enough that makes a difference, if that’s important to you, and move onto the next main thing.