This series is all about the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make when creating a website. The seventh mistake is not finishing because you are again focusing on perfection over progress.
In a previous post we looked at the mistake of not getting started. To read it, click here.
You want the things you do and create to be good, perfect even. But when you put perfection over progress, you end up not moving forward. You stay stuck.
There are 2 general ways that perfectionism messes with us.
First you may be unable to start because the pressure of having it be perfect is so discouraging that you can’t begin.
Or second you may be unable to finish because whatever you are doing can never be perfect.
Perfection and not finishing
When it comes to not finishing, perfectionism is a brutal taskmaster. There is always something that needs to be ‘fixed’ or tweaked’.
And as a recovering perfectionist, I know how hard this one is.
According to Jon Acuff in his book, Finish: “The harder you try to be perfect, the less likely you’ll accomplish your goals.”
We desperately want to succeed and we feel we have to be perfect to be successful. But since perfection is not possible, we are setting ourselves up to fail.
When we overcome the first hurdle and actually get started on a project, it doesn’t take long for imperfection to rear its ugly head. When what we are doing isn’t perfect – and really, when is it ever? – we tend to give up and quit. That means we don’t finish.
This is almost harder than not starting because we have poured our hearts and souls into this thing and giving up feels like failure.
How does this apply to a website?
Perfectionism applies to all aspects of your life, including your website. It applies to the strategy you choose, to the branding you select and the content you write.
Putting a website up live is tough for perfectionists. The extra space or the imperfect word choice can ‘ruin’ a website. Letting other people see something that isn’t perfect is putting your imperfect self out in the world to be judged. It can be very scary.
So what’s the answer?
Embrace imperfection. Take imperfect action. Heck, just take action, don’t judge it as perfect or not. Taking action is making progress.
According to Jon Acuff, the opposite of perfection isn’t failure – it’s finishing. That means completing projects, accomplishing goals and getting things done.
If it doesn’t go well, you can always try again. That’s almost the motto of the entrepreneur – persevere. When you get knocked down, you get back up and keep going.
If something isn’t perfect, you need to use any feedback you receive to make it better in the future.
While we want massive overnight success, we need to be a little realistic and accept that incremental growth and change can be good enough.
Don’t make the mistake of focusing on perfection over progress. Get out there and take imperfect action.
Want help making progress on your website?
Schedule a coffee chat to get unstuck and moving forward on your website.