Over the Christmas holiday, several of us (despite being on "vacation") came into work to pull together a project plan from several disparate sources. It was quickly apparent the three of us, each fairly detail oriented in our own ways, could take all week to get this done.
Wanting to get back home as quickly as possible, I went over to the easel pad in the room and wrote in large letters: BDTP
I explained to the other two guys that the acronym stood for a variation on a statement made by an A.T. Kearny consultant: Better Done Than Perfect.
The phrase is a great reminder at appropriate times that my standards for an end product may be beyond what is called for in the normal course of business. It's a slightly different twist on the 80-20 rule that helps me stay focused on maximizing my contribution in relevant ways across as many areas as possible (vs. cratering myself with outstanding work in a very narrow area).
Think about your own efforts. If you tend toward perfectionism, consider whether a BDTP attitude might free you to have the greatest overall business impact.
For us, it meant finishing in two days vs. spending the whole week and having our deliverable spill into the new year.
And with that, while this week's posts on convergent thinking may not have been perfect, they are certainly done. Have a great weekend!
