I love this so much! As a recovering perfectionist and master procrastinator, I've learnt that motion and imperfect action beats minute optimisation any day. My mantra these days is progress over perfection!!
The distinction I've found helpful for myself is between 'motion' and 'action.' Motion is busywork in the safe space of the workshop; action is shipping the imperfect thing out into the arena.
It sounds like your mantra is really about choosing 'imperfect action' over 'perfect motion.'
Ohh I love imperfect action over perfect motion. I'm 100% stealing this Muhammad!! :) I totally agree with you, the goal isn't busyness for the sake of it. I mentioned motion because when I felt procrastination in the past, it was nearly paralysing. So getting a little bit of movement (sometimes even literally!) helps me get enough momentum to get out of it. But YES, IMPERFECT ACTION OVER PERFECT MOTION!! This is gold!! 😊
James Clear talks about this exact topic (motion vs. action) in his book Atomic Habits! If you haven’t read it, but already had this thought, then you don’t need to read it, you’re way ahead. 😉
“I know people who have spent more time optimizing their writing system than actually writing.” This reminds me of reorganizing my workspace rather than actually checking something off my list for the day.
Not arguing against efficiency but nothing got invented when our minds were in highly velocity productive state. Creativity often comes when our brains are calm
It’s a trap for many of which perfectionism is a n unconscious motivator. Hardest thing is to identify the behavior. Often it takes some failure to overcome.
Two things hit home "optimisation is productivity in disguise". And "I'd rather be 50% efficient at 100% of what matters." As someone who is ex-Tech, I notice I have to stop and check in with myself sometimes - am I caught up in over-optimization or am I solving real problems for my customers? I'm learning to ship faster by taking quick, imperfect action in service to my customers v. spinning wheels in perfectionism.
I have found myself in this trap over and over. I am fed up of my habit of planning, lacking execution and then planning again. Now my whole focus is on start doing the needful without an overly decorated roadmap.
"Optimization is productivity in disguise." => The people running Singapore government need to get this! Many of us schooled from 1980s onwards have been programmed to optimise from a young age.
But where do you draw the line? I'm curious how you decide when an optimization stops being a distraction and starts being an useful system that frees up actual time
A true trap! It’s like having business cards before you actually land a first client, creating workflows or spending on fancy algorithm metrics without posting. I used to be stuck in this area for years, now I do it messy and improve as I go. My goal is to build a business not a “business” that looks more like something burning money in your pocket.
I love this so much! As a recovering perfectionist and master procrastinator, I've learnt that motion and imperfect action beats minute optimisation any day. My mantra these days is progress over perfection!!
I love it, Noemie!
That's a powerful and essential mantra, Noemie.
The distinction I've found helpful for myself is between 'motion' and 'action.' Motion is busywork in the safe space of the workshop; action is shipping the imperfect thing out into the arena.
It sounds like your mantra is really about choosing 'imperfect action' over 'perfect motion.'
I love that. A great way to frame it.
I like the way you differentiated it.
Ohh I love imperfect action over perfect motion. I'm 100% stealing this Muhammad!! :) I totally agree with you, the goal isn't busyness for the sake of it. I mentioned motion because when I felt procrastination in the past, it was nearly paralysing. So getting a little bit of movement (sometimes even literally!) helps me get enough momentum to get out of it. But YES, IMPERFECT ACTION OVER PERFECT MOTION!! This is gold!! 😊
James Clear talks about this exact topic (motion vs. action) in his book Atomic Habits! If you haven’t read it, but already had this thought, then you don’t need to read it, you’re way ahead. 😉
I'd rather be 50% efficient at 100% of what matters than 100% efficient at 50% of what matters.
This should be on a poster!
Let’s make one!
Done https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!26LG!,f_auto,q_auto:best,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fjustinwelsh.substack.com%2Fapi%2Fv1%2Fpost_selection_image%2F168848022%2F52277e9c-762c-435a-8d02-0df80a97c03d.jpg%3FaspectRatio%3Dinstagram%26bgColor%3D%2523ffffff%26textColor%3D%2523363737%26version%3D11
“I know people who have spent more time optimizing their writing system than actually writing.” This reminds me of reorganizing my workspace rather than actually checking something off my list for the day.
Ha. I do the same sometimes…
Not arguing against efficiency but nothing got invented when our minds were in highly velocity productive state. Creativity often comes when our brains are calm
I know mine does…
Thanks for the reminder to focus on what truly matters!
Welcome. Appreciate you reading it.
It’s a trap for many of which perfectionism is a n unconscious motivator. Hardest thing is to identify the behavior. Often it takes some failure to overcome.
Sure does…
There’s a beauty in the simplicity of all of this.
It doesn’t lend to a 5-step process, listicle or anything to buy (sell).
You’ve got everything you need. Keep it simple.
Bingo, Kevin. Not everything needs a perfect 5-step checklist.
Two things hit home "optimisation is productivity in disguise". And "I'd rather be 50% efficient at 100% of what matters." As someone who is ex-Tech, I notice I have to stop and check in with myself sometimes - am I caught up in over-optimization or am I solving real problems for my customers? I'm learning to ship faster by taking quick, imperfect action in service to my customers v. spinning wheels in perfectionism.
I have found myself in this trap over and over. I am fed up of my habit of planning, lacking execution and then planning again. Now my whole focus is on start doing the needful without an overly decorated roadmap.
Where’s the equilibrium nature thrives on?
"Optimization is productivity in disguise." => The people running Singapore government need to get this! Many of us schooled from 1980s onwards have been programmed to optimise from a young age.
This is BRILLIANT, Justin.
But where do you draw the line? I'm curious how you decide when an optimization stops being a distraction and starts being an useful system that frees up actual time
This really got me "Do it imperfectly. Messily. Now."
Thank you for the reminder, Justin.
So true that fundamentals win. Clarity, consistency, and execution will always beat the person endlessly looking for the next “hack.”
A true trap! It’s like having business cards before you actually land a first client, creating workflows or spending on fancy algorithm metrics without posting. I used to be stuck in this area for years, now I do it messy and improve as I go. My goal is to build a business not a “business” that looks more like something burning money in your pocket.
True! I’ve definitely fallen into the trap of tweaking systems, it feels productive, but it’s just procrastination in disguise.
The best momentum I’ve ever built came from doing things imperfectly, consistently, not from perfect workflows or fancy tools.
Love this reminder to just start.