Knowing When It Is Good Enough
You have been trying, looking, and improving. But here is a question every creator eventually has to face: when do you stop? Improving forever is not the goal. The goal is making something you are happy to share. Today we learn how to recognize that moment.
Done Does Not Mean Perfect
Perfect does not exist. There is always one more word you could change, one more detail you could add, one more color you could try. If you wait for perfect, you will never finish anything. Good enough is not giving up. Good enough means the work does what it was supposed to do and you feel good about sharing it. A birthday card you made for a friend does not need to be a professional painting. It needs to be warm, clear, and made with care. When it is those things, it is done.
Good enough is not settling for less. Good enough means your creation does its job well and you feel proud to share it. That is the real finish line.
Here is a checklist that creators use to decide if something is done. Check one: Does it do what it was supposed to do? Check two: Have I fixed the things that bothered me? Check three: Would I feel okay showing this to someone I trust? Check four: Am I still improving it, or am I just changing things back and forth because I cannot decide? If you answer yes to the first three and you catch yourself changing things back and forth on the fourth, it is time to call it done.
Match each situation to what it tells you about whether you are done.
Terms
Definitions
Drag terms onto their definitions, or click a term then click a definition to match.
Finishing is a skill. Some creators find it hard because they are afraid of what others will think. Others find it hard because they love making things and do not want to stop. Both of those feelings are okay. But sharing something is how your work reaches the world. A finished poem someone reads is worth more than a perfect poem no one ever sees.
If you cannot decide whether something is done, imagine sharing it with a kind friend right now. If you would feel okay doing that, it is done. Ship it.
What does 'good enough' mean for a creator?
Sam keeps changing the color of the title in his poster from blue to green, then back to blue, then back to green. He has been doing this for ten minutes. What does this tell you?
My Done Checklist
- Think of something you have been working on, or imagine you just finished a creation.
- Draw four checkboxes on a piece of paper.
- Write these four questions next to them: Does it do what it was supposed to do? Did I fix what bothered me? Would I be okay sharing it with someone I trust? Am I still going back and forth on the same thing?
- Check each box honestly.
- If you checked yes to the first three, say out loud: 'This is done and I am proud of it.'
- Practice this feeling — finishing is something to celebrate.