GOOD ENUF!
It was written in large letters at the top of the chalk board in my dad’s journalism room where the college newspaper took shape every week. Yes, I said journalism… writing… english.
I was too young to get the full nuance at the time. Today, he would be happy to know that I appreciate the sentiment much more. Maybe it is because I am doing more writing myself. Or maybe it is just the wisdom that comes with age.
Beating back perfection
My dad was an English and journalism professor through much of his life. Part of the responsibilities as the journalism professor was guiding the students as they published the weekly newspaper for the campus.
Every Thursday night, the rest of the family knew that we would not see him home for dinner, and could expect to hear the front door close behind him sometime well after midnight. He and the students poured their hearts and souls into those papers. They worked late into the night to make sure that it was their best product.
Yet there always came a time when they would have to make the call. There is no such thing as perfect. There is, perhaps, even no such thing as done. They were learning how to not let perfect be the enemy of either good or done.
They would eventually get to the point where they felt that the full paper – the content of each column, the layout of the pictures and the ads, the opinions on the editorial page – was ready to go to print. Sometimes that decision was based on their comfort with the content, other times it was driven by the clock on the wall.
There were inevitably errors in some issues, and others could have been more artfully laid out. Yet they stuck with their “Good Enuf” rule and focused on getting the best paper out each time. And they produced an award-winning paper. Getting in motion and staying in motion until the job was “good enuf” was a winning strategy each week.
What did “Good Enuf” permit?
- Deliver something. They put out a paper every week. Without fail. They were consistent. The understood that the value within the paper was not in its perfection, but in sharing ideas and information.
- Learn from mistakes. By not focusing on getting one sole error free paper out in a year, they had many opportunities to make mistakes. They could improve on prior work, try new approaches, and learn each week.
- Fix things. The corrections corner is a wonderful tool. In a few short sentences, they could correct material errors, practice artful and respectful apologies, and move on.
- Self care. These busy college students had much more than one journalism class on their plates. Putting in a stopping point and allowing themselves to be done gave them time to get some sleep and prepare for other classes.
- Laugh more. Where will the blooper reel come from if we don’t share some of our gaffes publicly?
- Freedom. Knowing that perfection is not the end goal, it made it easier to get started each week. The pressure was off.
Reflection
Where are you not allowing yourself to say “good enuf” in your work?
How do you gracefully note where you have made mistakes and learn from them rather than try to avoid them in the first place?
Check out other blogs in the series exploring motion.