Hey Pythonista,

One of the biggest hurdles we've seen developers face over the years is perfectionism.

It’s a mindset trap where you delay or avoid action because you’re too focused on making things perfect.

This can cripple your progress and prevent you from delivering on projects.

Examples:

• Over-Engineering code: Spending too much time optimizing or adding unnecessary features before you even test the core functionality.
• Fear of feedback: Hesitating to share code or push changes because you're worried about what others might think.
• Procrastinating on life goals: Waiting for the "perfect" moment to exercise or complete tasks, only to delay them indefinitely.

From our experience:

• Missed deadlines: We've missed deadlines by overly optimizing and tweaking project features, leading to unnecessary delays.
• Workout procrastination: Waiting for the perfect workout environment led to inactivity, reminding us that progress always beats perfection.
• Product launches: We've had to accept imperfections in order to get products across the finish line. Through iterative feedback, they became much better over time.

Tips to overcome perfectionism:

• Set clear boundaries: Define what "good enough" looks like for a task or project, and stick to it. Setting deadlines forces you to move forward rather than endlessly refining.
• Embrace iterative development: Adopt an iterative development process, like Agile, where you release smaller increments and continuously improve based on feedback, rather than aiming for perfection upfront.
• Seek feedback early and often: Sharing your work earlier in the process can provide valuable insights and help you realize that it doesn’t need to be perfect to be effective. Shift the focus from perfection to progress.
• Just do it: Push your work out even if it’s not perfect. You can always iterate based on feedback. Remember, making mistakes is how you learn and grow.
• Create issues or notes: Worried about missing features or improvements? Jot them down and tackle them later. This reduces mental load and helps you move forward. (This applies to productivity in general, too. Check out our productivity course here).
• Start small and simple: Whether it’s coding or any personal goal, begin with the basics and build gradually. Progress is more important than perfection.

So, here's our challenge to you this week!

While working on a project this week (if you don't have one, start one), resist the urge to perfect everything. Push your work forward and iterate as you go.

Share your experience in the community and let us know how this mindset shift helps you: Share Your Wins

If perfectionism is stalling your progress and you have deadlines or upskilling goals, it’s time to talk about how we can coach you: The PDM Program

Keep pushing forward,

Bob & Julian