🧩 The 'Good Enough' Deadline

The Trap of Endless Polishing

Somewhere between “done” and “perfect” is a black hole where good projects go to die. You keep tweaking, and the finish line keeps moving with you.

Voltaire put it more bluntly two centuries earlier: “Perfect is the enemy of good.” Both were making the same point — that last 10% of polish usually costs more than it's worth.

🧩 Ship the 'Good Enough' Version

1. Decide what “good enough” looks like before you start. Write down the actual bar — not the imaginary perfect one — so you know when you've cleared it.
2. Set a hard stop. Give the task a real deadline, then treat “done” as done — not as “ready for one more pass.”
3. Ask what perfect is actually costing you. Every extra hour polishing one thing is an hour not spent starting the next one.
4. Save perfectionism for what truly needs it. A wedding vow deserves more editing than a group-chat reply — match the effort to the stakes.