A Real Solution for Perfectionism

In my Blog Post, “Why I want a divorce…from Perfection” I talk about how Perfection can be like an unhappy spouse who is abusive, unreasonable, and never satisfied. It can prevent us from getting started, finishing, or making decisions. The reason why, is Perfection fears Imperfection and the possibility of making mistakes. Yet this fear is completely irrational because anything we do is bound to be imperfect either in our own eyes or in the eyes of others, but we cannot let it stop us from moving forward. Done is always better than perfect. Good is always better than perfect. If you struggle with Perfection like I often do, then this may provide a helpful out for you. I call it the 90% Solution. 

We all produce something in our work, but sometimes it can be a struggle to get started because we often think that it has to be perfect, which is unrealistic and unachievable. What is that thing you typically create? Whatever it is, you simply have to create it. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It only needs to be a 90% Solution. 

What is the 90% Solution? The whole idea behind it is when you create something – a document, product, deliverable, or solution of any kind, the temptation is to try to get it 100% perfect before we submit it to the stakeholders. The truth of the matter is, that your stakeholders are always going to have something to say about the thing you came up with. If you put any document or product in front of someone regardless of how perfect you think it is, they will find something wrong with it. The reason for this is that we view things, people, and circumstances all through our unique lens of experience. So anything you put in front of another human being, they could find fault with it. We shouldn’t take this personally, because that’s just how we are wired. 

Here’s how the 90% solution works:

1. Step one – Develop the product. Whether it’s a document, a presentation, a wiring diagram, a storyboard, an article, a screenplay, a music track, or a pilot episode – whatever it is, do your best with it and then give it to your peers to look at. What you give them should be your 90% solution.
2. Step two – give that product to your peers for their review. What they will then do is provide you feedback and input, and that might look like revisions, deletions, adjustments, or additions. Their input will likely get you to a 95% solution. 
3. Step three – Give that version to your stakeholders and they will provide you their input, and then you will have your 100% solution – or you will get additional information, or perhaps a change in direction entirely

What you submit to your stakeholders will never be perfect, you have to understand and accept that. The reason is that they know more than you do, they have greater context, they typically understand more of the bigger picture, or they have a perspective that you might not have at first. Besides, Perfection isn’t possible, because Perfection is meeting everyone’s expectations exactly as they think they ought to be met. And unless your superpower is mindreading, that is not always possible. Your stakeholders will likely shoot holes through whatever product you come up with, but once you have their input then you will be closer – or you will ultimately have your 100% solution.

The 90% solution does not apply to things like clearly quantifiable mathematical problems – like balance sheets or engineering problems. After all, if I’m going through the Lincoln tunnel in New York, I don’t want the calculations to be 90% right for that tunnel, I want those calculations to be 100% right. The same is true if I was going over a bridge, I don’t want there to be a 90% probability that the bridge will not fall apart, the 90% Solution only applies to business artifacts and documents that are transacted all the time.  This concept also does not apply to more artistic pursuits that are a personal expression of your talent or who you are. After all Michelangelo did not do a survey after painting the Sistine chapel nor did da Vinci have a focus group to get input on the Mona Lisa. When it comes to our personal expressions, many times we need to listen to our own voice, and be satisfied with our own work. Sometimes our personal expressions are deeper acts of spirituality and worship, and are not subject to the ratings of others. 

 The benefits of the 90% solution:

• It will help you get out of the perfectionist mentality, knowing that you only have to come up with 9/10 of the product
• It will save you time, potentially lots of time, if you are not focused on perfection
• It will save you aggravation
• It will move the artifact along to completion faster
• By only providing 90% of the Solution you leave some room for others to fill in the 10% gap. They will do it anyway, in this way, you are doing it intentionally, with forethought and deliberation. You are expecting others input and feedback anyway, this leaves intentional space for that input. 

It goes without saying that whatever your product, it should be proofread through and spellchecked. It should be reviewed and free from obvious errors. Just because we are aiming for 90% doesn’t mean it should be sloppy. Quite the contrary, our work is our signature, and a reflection of ourselves, so it should reflect the level of inner love, quality, and respect we want to project to the world. 

Perfection is the enemy of the good, and often keeps us from taking the actions we need to. Perfection is a head game that we don’t need to play anymore. Fortunately we have ways to get our around our perfectionist tendencies. The 90% Solution will help you get started, make progress, and move things toward completion without the analysis or paralysis that often comes with Perfectionism.

Question: What action have you postponed because it has to be perfect?