How to Break Free from Perfectionism
We’ve all been there before.
You have what feels like an amazing idea for a new app or program.
You plan everything - every line of code, every function - in your head.
It’s going to be perfect!
Then...you never actually write a single line of real code.
Perfectionism and analysis paralysis have struck again.
Meanwhile, that less experienced coder who just jumped into building her simple, imperfect project ends up actually shipping something.
“The imperfect project you actually complete is worth more than the perfect project you never finish.” - James Clear
This quote from author James Clear sums up an important lesson for any aspiring coder: done is better than perfect.
Building imperfect projects speed up the learning process.
This is because you have something tangible to gather feedback from and improve.
And nothing drives more progress than putting your work out there early and often.
So don't get bogged down trying to build everything at once.
Focus on the smallest usable piece you can get up and running. Then let real users guide what you build next.
The goal here is to spend less time planning the perfect code, and more time writing imperfect code that improves your skills.
If you aren’t making mistakes, you aren’t learning.
Now let’s explore some key ways embracing imperfection leads to coding success.
Just Start Something, Anything
Perfectionism is the enemy of getting started.
When that awesome app idea strikes, it’s tempting to obsess over details early on.
You can envision exactly how each screen should work, the perfect logo, and beautiful animations - it’s all perfect in your head!
The problem is that picture-perfect vision makes taking the first, imperfect coding steps seem overwhelming.
And so that blank coding canvas sits there...mocking you...growing cobwebs.
Meanwhile, our friend who already started coding her imperfect app keeps plugging away.
She fights off analysis paralysis, dives into building something real, and now has an ugly but functioning prototype.
Her imperfect code might need major rework later.
But none of that matters if you never leave the starting blocks!
Whatever that first coding step is for you - whether it’s wiring up a basic app framework or just getting some UI elements rendering - take it.
Use that momentum to build further progress.
No one writes flawless code at first.
All that matters is getting started in turning an idea into reality - one imperfect coding brick at a time.
Fighting past paralysis and taking that clumsy initial step is everything.
Progress fuels inspiration to build more.
Imperfect Work Builds Knowledge
So you took that imperfect first step and have the start of an app built.
Congrats, you're learning already! 🎉
Finished projects, even imperfect ones, provide great feedback to improve your coding skills.
Let users interact with your ugly but functioning app.
What confuses them? What bugs crop up?
The flaws in your imperfect code reveal what needs to be fixed and improved.
Reflect on what coding choices led to issues.
Ask others to review the sections you struggled with. Identify better ways to structure things.
Then refactor portions of clumsy code.
Rinse and repeat this process, iteratively improving your app.
Bit by bit, you transform spaghetti code into cleaner, more elegant logic.
Each mistake and imperfection handled is a lesson learned. Your skills grow and compound with each version.
Before you know it, you'll look back at old code and smile at how far you've come.
Progress creates knowledge.
Progress Over Perfection
Resist the temptation to keep tweaking old code forever before moving forward.
It’s easy to get stuck trying to make those early sections “perfect” rather than pushing towards the finish line.
But ask yourself this - will more nights and weekends tinkering with your login screen really help you learn and progress more than starting to build the next feature?
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good enough.
Strive instead for constant incremental improvements. Add an imperfect feature you hack together quickly. Make it work, throw some duct tape on it, and move onward.
"Imperfect action beats perfect inaction”
Building new features exposes more areas needing improvement. You expand capabilities while identifying coding skills to level up.
Most importantly, shipping finished work motivates you to keep enhancing things. And each small win feeds that desire to build something even better next.
No one climbs a mountain in one leap. Focus on consistent coding gains rather than perfection.
Progress comes step by step.
The MVP Mindset
Ever heard of Minimum Viable Product or MVP? It's a popular concept in the start-up world for good reason.
Rather than building every possible feature upfront, identify the simplest, most essential thing customers can get value from.
Build that first stripped-down, imperfect, bare-bones version fast.
Resist cramming everything into v1.0 just to make it seem more "complete". Shoot instead for the smallest thing you can make that works reasonably well.
As we’ve discussed earlier, getting even an ugly prototype in users' hands quickly is key. So that you can modify and improve aspects that will bring the most value to them.
This fail-fast, iterate-fast approach allows your app to rapidly evolve based on real feedback rather than assumptions.
And by focusing on the vital few features first, you avoid over-engineering unused bells and whistles.
Building a minimum viable product is about learning, not perfection.
Progress improves products.
Conclusion
Maybe you feel intimidated looking at experienced coders building slick, complex apps.
It's easy to think you'll never write such clean, elegant code.
But don't forget - those coders all started from zero too.
Their fancy apps today stand on the foundations of early buggy, messy projects.
Projects they actually finished.
Done is better than perfect.
Shipping imperfect work trumps the endless grind of trying to reach flawlessness. Progress compounds over time by building real things.
So you might as well start your coding journey today if you haven't already.
Get building something - anything - even if it's ugly or basic for now.
Just stay focused on consistent progress rather than perfection.
And start bringing those app ideas of yours to life.
Even if - no, especially if - you start imperfectly.
From your fellow ever-growing dev,
Cherlock Code
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Top comments (3)
planning is important part of creating new project, but sometimes people spend to much time for planning till they forget to take the action for what they planned
Thanks for posting
This "mentally" helped me a lot.
You're welcome, glad it helped :)