Sometimes good is good enough.

I saw a quote on my calendar today, and I have to disagree respectfully. I get where the person is going, but I let go of some of my perfectionism over the years, and it has freed up my task list tremendously. The quote… If better is possible, good is not enough. – unknown-

Sometimes good is good enough. I learned this with my tasks and tasks I delegate.

There is a significant step in delegating that I think most people miss. This applies especially to the perfectionist. When you assign, it should be the same as bringing it down, tying a pretty bow on it, and crossing it off the list. Give it away 100%. When I first delegated, I would keep ownership. I was a hovercraft. I watched over the person I gave it to, making sure they did it right (also known as assuring they did it my way, which was the perfect way, I thought).

I would take the completed task, examine it for perfection, make tweaks, or end up redoing it because the result wasn’t what I had in mind. Dear God, delegating was killing me. It added steps and time to getting ‘er done. Whose brilliant idea was it to delegate?

I was missing a crucial component. Assign to someone and release. Trust the person you gave it to and don’t be a backseat driver. There are plenty of things on your list that has you at the wheel. Everyone grows and learns when he or she empowered to own a task from start to finish. Let it go, shake off the need to have something perfect, and trust it is getting done. In the beginning, it will be hard. Resist the desire to redo the dishes after your teenager washes them. They may not be as scrubbed as you like but will you die of dysentery if the plates can’t be used as surgical instruments?

Pick your times when good is good enough. If I’m creating a report or document for Senior Leadership or a customer facing document, better is the goal. But most days, good works. I’ve also learned that if I haven’t finished everything on my list at the end of the day, I’ve still done enough. There is always tomorrow!