Done is better than perfect; Tips on how to get things done.
Real artists ship- Steve Jobs
According to Seth Godin, shipping is the collision between your work and the outside world.
Shipping means finishing your work and sharing it e.g hitting that publish button on the blog, sending that manuscript to the publisher, making that pitch to a potential investor, making that phone call, submitting that report, sending out your applications for the new job etc.
“An exceptional person doesn’t keep his work a secret or focus on perfection. He pushes them out the door.” He always ships, regardless of what happens. Godin
Think about News hours, let’s say NTV @ 9. No matter what happens, every day at exactly 9:00 pm, when we tune in to watch the News, it will be playing. There’s a team back there, doing whatever they can to find the News and make it ready by 9:00 pm come rain or sunshine.
Let us look closer. Most of us are expected at work by 8:00 am and we always show up on time- everyday. Why then is it hard to deliver on some key results on our jobs or on personal goals?
“Sometimes shipping feels like a compromise. You set out to make a huge difference, to create art that matters and to do your best work… there’s no doubt that another hour, day or week would have added some needed polish.” Seth Godin.
This is the perfection hold back.
This happens to me sometimes when I am working on an important assignment or a blog post like this one. It always feels like I need to do more, research more, edit more, send the work to 2 editors etc. I never feel quite ready. I want the work to be perfect. However, I have come to recognize that I may never reach that point of perfection. I have learnt to overcome that feeling and release my work.
I have learnt to “practice on the job.” I can always improve with new assignments.
It is important to get things done. That’s what employers need. That’s what we need if we want to turn our dreams into reality. In fact, Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan, the authors of Execution say,
“Leadership without the discipline of execution is incomplete and ineffective. Without the ability to execute, all other attributes of leadership become hollow.” Do we want to be ineffective, dull? Heck, no!
Over the years, the colleagues I have worked with have appreciated attributes about me akin to getting things done e.g “you are focused, determined, organized, result oriented, hardworking etc”. One of my bosses once said… “you never let things fall through the cracks”. Well, I try my best. However, this doesn’t mean that I have no struggles meeting deadlines and holding up my end on commitments.
When it comes to work assignments, I do my best- perhaps because that’s my biggest priority. In my personal ventures, I try but I often fall short. In fact, I asked a friend a couple of months ago to charge me some amount of money every time I fail to meet a personal commitment. I have paid up for missing timelines but more on that later.
Below are some of the things that have helped me get things done on time.
Adjust your Attitude: I have found that my mind is a very powerful controlling force. I can talk myself into almost anything and I can also talk myself out of anything. It makes sense then that we should work on our minds first.
Do you have a positive view of your work? Do you consider what you do important?
If your answer is yes, that should be a driver. It should make you want to do well all the time. If your answer is no, then think about the pay check you are getting and remember you owe whoever is paying you. Let that drive you for now as you look for important work. Tell yourself you MUST DO IT — no matter what! If you say it enough, it will get you out of your seat.
Show up: I first heard about this concept from a TED talk given by Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love. In this talk about creativity, she says even when you don’t feel like doing it, you should show up. Do your part. At least sit and stare at the computer. I do it sometimes and after I have stared long enough, sometimes over a couple of days, ideas begin to pop up. So, show up to your work and stare at it!
Concentrate on finishing the task at hand in the following steps:
1. Just get it done. Don’t worry about making it pretty or polished. Don’t censor yourself either. When you are working on a big assignment, it helps for you to work on your first draft as roughly as the ideas come.
2. Do a quick edit. Put the words in the same font, space nicely, get rid of spelling errors, organize your thoughts, organize the layout etc. The goal here is to make it presentable in good English and all.
3. Do thorough editing. This is where the pursuit of excellence comes in. You are moving your work from good to great. Give it keener attention, employ all your brilliance and hidden trade secrets.
4. Secure a second opinion. At this level, you may send it to an “expert” to proof and develop your idea further. It helps for someone you trust to critique your work before you submit it.
In the interest of getting things done. Submitting level two work is okay and respectable. No one will give you a medal for it or a high five, but you got it done and that’s pretty good.
Whenever possible, strive to get the work to level 3 or 4 but don’t hold work past the deadline just because you want it to be perfect. You can always improve it later. I discuss more on this here.
Call in your crew: It’s a give and take game. We need “friends with benefits” at work. I have my crew. When things become too much, I have a few people I can run to for support. They always come through for me. There’s no shame in sharing the load. Sometimes, we act like superheroes who have all the answers. Well, we aren’t!
Have an old fashioned to do list. This is quite simple, but many people don’t use this amazing tool. Every year, I faithfully pick my diary that’s freely given by my employer. Every morning, I faithfully open it as I start my day. I list all the priorities and keep it open all through the day. This way, I keep adding items and can check them off at the end of the day. I move the unfinished ones into the next day.
I usually have sticky notes handy for things that don’t make it into the diary and a separate notebook for meetings and longer action items. These are my daily work assistants-everyone needs one. Find a way to track your assignments.
As the new year begins, it is my prayer that we shall become doers; that we shall deliver the results required of us. Remember, unless we make things happen, our great plans are not going to matter.
