Apr 17, 2024 By Nick Jacobs 4 min read

If you closely examine the saying, “Perfect is the enemy of good,” which is a loose translation of the Italian saying first uttered by Voltaire, you will realize that it’s not a cry to do things in a half-baked manner. It is, however, a plea to stop being obsessed with perfection instead of moving forward with good improvements.

This statement relates to the 80/20 concept, in which it usually takes 20% of the time to complete about 80% of the task. Then the last 80% of your effort is needed to get to perfection. In other words, a small percentage of causes are responsible for a large percentage of results. The majority of the time, that initial commitment will allow progress to keep moving forward, according to the Pareto Principle.

There have been hundreds of articles about this concept in everything from the Harvard Business Review to Forbes, and pundits have put forth myriad reasons directed toward overcoming unnecessary perfectionism whenever possible. In playing classical music, perfection is the only acceptable answer, but when playing jazz or rock, there is plenty of wiggle room.

There are, however, specific times when perfect is the only acceptable option. For example, during complex brain surgery, or in the Jimmy Stewart classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” when the inebriated pharmacist who just found out he lost his son in the war, was stopped by little Georgie from giving out a lethal prescription that would have killed his customers. “Close enough for jazz” does not work well in life-and-death situations. Yet, the third largest cause of death in the U.S. is still from hospital and health care mistakes. So, yes, perfection is key in health care and in flying 737 MAX airplanes.

If we look at opportunities through the lens of decisive and immediate actions and focus instead on making small continuous improvements, and learning from our mistakes, we can move ideas, projects, and goals forward. The sooner we realize the real world rewards perfection less than it does progress, the sooner we’ll learn to delegate and get the things done that will still lead to success.

Time after time, I’ve observed cohorts who get completely hung up on perfection. They are so carried away with being perfect that they freeze and allow opportunities to pass by time and time again. Because they focus every ounce of strength and attention on making something completely flawless, they miss the fact that, in the majority of cases, close enough was just fine.

Of course, it’s important to maintain a high standard for ourselves and our work, but there’s a point at which it can stop making sense.

If you prioritize your personal goals and learn to manage your time wisely, you’ll have more time to be productive. That means stop saying yes to everything. It also means choosing the right people with which to regularly spend your time. If you surround yourself with focused, positive people, they will make your life richer. You’ll also discover that this positive mindset is contagious and working together with these people will make an incredible difference in your life.

One of the most important things you can do is to periodically work outside your comfort zone. It will force you to learn, to see things differently, and most importantly, to grow. Too many people are afraid to take on that new task out of fear of failure. That fear is also the reason they will only accept perfection. Meanwhile, opportunities fly by them like fireflies on an early summer evening.

In closing, the one perfect thing we all need to focus on in life must be balance. When all of your goals have been met and all the mountains have been climbed, the two things you’ll need more than anything else are your health and your family. Now, that’s a reason to work for perfection. You’ll never regret that decision.

Nick Jacobs is a Windber resident.