Done is better than perfect
The randomiser wheel picked “Done is better than perfect”. I’m currently using a tool to select phrases for my journal practice. They are all associated with the theme of Creativity.
I feel this one at the moment with something I’ve been putting off — waiting until I can picture how it will pan out. But I’ve reached the point where the only way to execute the idea is to stop thinking and do it.
I’ve been wondering why procrastination haunts this project in particular.
What does perfect mean?
In this case, I think perfect means “order”. But there’s a gap here: I can’t imagine what it will look like until I do it. And if I can picture it too clearly, I’m in danger of limiting what it could become. This creates a feedback loop: I put off doing until I know what it will look like, but I won’t know what it will look like until I begin doing.
Can you relate?
I’m now pondering, what is one small “micro-done” thing I could do to help break the loop?
When Might Highly Sensitive People Seek Perfect At The Expense of Done?
Depth of Processing
Highly sensitive people process information deeply and absorb nuance. This makes it easy to see all the ways something could be improved — often before it’s even finished. It’s a powerful strength for creative exploration, but it can lead to:
- Over-refining (squeezing the life out of an idea)
- Decision paralysis (second-guessing every step)
- Constant revisiting (never letting it settle)
Cautious of Emotional Exposure
A highly sensitive nervous system is attuned to perceive the presence of potential threats. Creating or expressing something meaningful is a vulnerable act. As such, our nervous system might sound the alarm and mitigate the source of danger. Perfectionism may be a kind of armour and a way to avoid:
- Criticism
- Misunderstanding
- Feeling too visible (or not enough)
When this fear takes the wheel, we play it safe, hide ourselves, and extinguish the fire that first lit the idea. I speak to highly sensitive people who wish they could loosen up and release more of their creative humour and feisty-ness into the world.
Waiting for the Noise to Pass
Life already feels intense, so we wait for a better time, when things are calmer, quieter, clearer.
Perfection, here, becomes about the conditions. But if we can’t define what “ready” looks like in practical terms, we may be waiting a long time.
People Pleasing
HSPs may be attuned to how others might feel or react to them, whether the feelings are imagined or real. That empathy can morph into pre-empting every possible response, refining and polishing to avoid rocking the boat.
Perfectionism can become a strategy for keeping others comfortable, but often at the expense of what’s truly alive in us.
High Internal Standards
Strong values and ideals can turn into all-or-nothing thinking:
- “If I can’t do it fully, I shouldn’t do it yet.”
- “If it’s not perfect, it’s not worth doing.”
- “I must include everything and everyone.”
- “I must do it all myself.”
There’s an irony here: we may want to connect with or support others, but hold ourselves back from sharing what matters most, waiting until it’s flawless.
In trying to give what we think others want, we risk withholding what they desire… us as we are, in all our messy imperfection. Including asking others for help or support.
Examples where “done” is usually better than “perfect”
These are notes to myself. What would you add to your list?
- Replying to emails: Short and done is better than overthinking a message that never arrives.
- Exercising: Anything will do.
- Sharing art: Doing it regularly makes the response less precious.
- Sending a message: Maybe “Thinking of you” is enough.
- Launching a project: Many elements only become clearer once you’re in motion.
- Journaling: There’s no correct way.
- Saying no: You don’t need the perfect excuse.
- Spending time with someone: Being together matters more than planning the perfect day.
None of this is to say that once we’re doing it, we can’t refine, adapt, and improve. Of course, we can. That’s the point–to break the loop.
So what’s next?
If there’s an area where you feel stuck in the loop (waiting for perfection before you begin/let go), what would “done for today” look like? What might that open up for the part of you that’s longing to move (on)?
