Good Enough Culture – Knowing When to Hit Publish

What does it mean to say something is “good enough?”

It certainly doesn’t mean to imply that it’s not good enough though whenever I hear someone say, “eh, it’s good enough” I feel like it implies that it’s not good enough but they can settle.

I been reading Seth Godin’s – Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? (affiliate link) and there’s a three word mantra: “real artist ship.” It got me thinking what “good enough” actually means especially thinking of myself as a blogger.

Good enough means recognizing when you’ve made your point, when the blog is essentially complete and hitting publish.  Everything that has ever been made could be improved.  To be improved something must first exist, if you dont hit publish, it doesn’t exist.

I don’t mean putting something out that isn’t ready, or that is riddled with errors.  I really do mean that it is truly good enough.  That the incremental value added with additions and changes is irrelevant when weighed against the benefit of publishing.

Perfectionism isn’t a quality, it’s a liability in most cases.  It causes paralysis.  It’s rooted in fear.  Thinking in the context of “good enough” is not a call to publish something awful or something that you’re not proud of.  It’s a call to get over your fear, your need for perfection.  There’s a moment in every blog post where I know I could comb through it for that one typo, or make one point a little more elaborate and well explained, but the marginal value that brings to my work does not outweigh the conversation starting a little earlier.

Don’t be afraid, learn to distinguish when a something really is “good enough.”