Shipping
The practice of releasing work to the world rather than endlessly perfecting it.
Also known as: Ship it, Just ship, Real artists ship
Category: Principles
Tags: entrepreneurship, productivity, execution, creativity, principles
Explanation
Shipping is the act of releasing your work - whether a product, project, article, or creation - into the world. It represents the critical transition from 'working on something' to 'done.' As Seth Godin famously emphasizes, 'Real artists ship.'
Many creators struggle with shipping because they fear criticism, rejection, or the exposure of imperfection. This leads to endless refinement cycles where projects never see the light of day. The pursuit of perfection becomes the enemy of progress. As Tiago Forte notes: 'Perfectionism keeps us from making mistakes but also from making progress.'
Shipping is crucial for several reasons: First, it generates real-world feedback that's far more valuable than internal speculation. Second, it forces closure and prevents scope creep. Third, it builds the muscle of completion - the more you ship, the easier it becomes. Fourth, unshipped work creates no value; only released work can help others or generate returns.
The key insight is that shipping doesn't mean shipping garbage - it means shipping something 'good enough' and improving based on actual feedback rather than imagined criticism. Progress beats perfection. Better can come later, but only if 'good enough' comes first.
Many legendary failures in entrepreneurship aren't bad ideas poorly executed - they're good ideas that were over-refined and never launched, or launched too late after the market had moved on.
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