We all know the expression:

If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.

However, this week I read a variation of that quote that really made sense to me.

If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing badly.

This might sound counter-intuitive, but it’s actually an extremely productive way of looking at things.

Of course, there are many situations when something needs to be done well. But, there are many more situations when something just needs to be done.

It’s easy to be consumed by perfection. If you’re going to do something, you need to go the whole hog and do it properly, otherwise it’s just not worth doing.

It’s this expectation of perfection that paralyses us and causes us to avoid doing certain tasks.

It reminds me of a quote I love:

“Don’t aim for consistently heroic efforts. Aim for being heroic at consistency.”

Brad Stulberg

We can try to do things properly and aim for perfection in everything we do. But, in doing so, we will exert so much energy (both emotionally and physically) that we will avoid doing it again.

Instead, going to the gym for 10 minutes is easier to achieve than going for an hour… and it is better than not going at all.

Preparing for 10 minutes on a Sunday for the trading week ahead is easier to commit to than 60 minutes… and is better than not being prepared at all.

Writing a short, casual blog post is easier to do than writing a long, detailed article… and is better than not posting at all. 😉