Done Is Better Than Perfect
The principle that completing and shipping work, even imperfectly, creates more value than endlessly refining it.
Also known as: Done Over Perfect, Ship It, Perfect Is the Enemy of Done
Category: Principles
Tags: productivity, execution, mindsets, progress, shipping
Explanation
Done Is Better Than Perfect is a productivity and execution philosophy that prioritizes completion over perfection. Popularized as one of Facebook's early mottos, it captures the insight that finished work—even flawed—creates real value, while work stuck in endless refinement creates none.
**The Core Insight:**
Perfection is often an illusion that prevents action. The perfect version in your head will never match reality, and the pursuit of it leads to paralysis. Meanwhile, a 'good enough' version shipped today can:
- Generate real feedback for improvement
- Deliver value to users immediately
- Free you to work on other things
- Compound improvements over time
**When It Applies:**
- **Creative work:** Publishing imperfect content beats hoarding perfect drafts
- **Product development:** Shipping MVP features beats delayed perfect releases
- **Learning:** Taking imperfect action teaches more than theoretical preparation
- **Decision-making:** Making a reversible decision beats analysis paralysis
**When to Be Careful:**
- Safety-critical systems require higher standards
- Some domains genuinely require precision (medical, legal, financial)
- Technical debt from shipping too fast can accumulate
- Public-facing work affects reputation
**The Balance:**
The goal isn't to be careless but to recognize that 'done' is a prerequisite for 'better.' Ship, learn, iterate. Version 2 will be better because version 1 exists.
**Related Concepts:**
This principle connects to worse-is-better (simpler wins), satisficing (good enough is good enough), and the Pareto principle (80% of value from 20% of effort). It's the antidote to perfectionism and analysis paralysis.
Related Concepts
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