Done Is Better Than Perfect
Have you ever written a Facebook post, read it over five times, changed a few words, read it again… and then decided not to publish it?
Or maybe you’ve worked on an email for so long that eventually you started questioning every sentence.
Is the subject line good enough?
Should I change that paragraph?
Will anyone actually read this?
What will people think?
Maybe you’ve even been working on a website and found yourself spending 45 minutes trying to decide whether a button should be blue or green.
Meanwhile, the website still isn’t published.
Sound familiar?
One of the biggest obstacles with content creation for beginners isn’t always knowing what to create.
Sometimes it’s having the courage to say:
“This is good enough. I’m putting it out there.”
That’s why I want to introduce another simple idea:
Taking Imperfect Action
Taking imperfect action doesn’t mean being careless.
It doesn’t mean publishing inaccurate information or throwing together something you don’t care about.
It simply means recognizing that your first attempt doesn’t have to be your final attempt.
Your website can be improved.
Your emails can be rewritten.
Your Facebook posts will get better.
Your videos will improve.
But first, you have to start.
Is It Really Perfectionism—or Are You Postponing?
Here’s a question worth asking yourself:
Are you improving it—or are you postponing it?
That’s sometimes a difficult question to answer.
We can convince ourselves that we’re being productive because we’re still “working” on something.
Maybe you change the headline for the sixth time.
You rewrite the opening paragraph again.
You move an image two inches to the left.
Then back to the right.
Then you decide you liked it better where it was originally.
Congratulations—you’ve just spent 30 minutes moving an image on a website without actually moving your business forward!
I’ve certainly had moments like that.
At some point, we have to recognize the difference between improving our work and hiding behind our work.
That’s where overcoming perfectionism becomes an important skill for anyone building an online business.
Sometimes perfectionism and procrastination can look surprisingly similar.
The Fear Behind the Publish Button
Why can that little Publish button feel so intimidating?
Because once you click it, other people can see what you’ve created.
And that’s when the questions begin.
What if nobody likes it?
What if someone disagrees with me?
What if I make a mistake?
What if someone knows more about this than I do?
But here’s another question:
What if your post helps one person?
What if someone reads your email and finally understands something that had been confusing them?
What if your imperfect video answers the exact question someone has been searching for?
You won’t know if the content stays in your Draft folder.
Fear of publishing and fear of judgment are common barriers among creators. But publishing is also how creators begin gathering reactions, learning what connects with people, and developing confidence through experience.
That’s why taking imperfect action matters.
The 3-P Rule: Prepare → Publish → Polish
Here’s a simple approach I like for content creation:
PREPARE
Create something useful.
Write your email.
Draft your Facebook post.
Record your reel.
Build your webpage.
Check it for obvious mistakes and make sure you’re comfortable with the message.
Then ask yourself:
“Is this useful enough to help someone?”
If the answer is yes, move to step two.
PUBLISH
This is where many of us get stuck.
There’s always one more thing we could change.
But eventually, you have to let your work leave the building.
Hit Publish.
Send the email.
Post the Reel.
Launch the webpage.
This is taking imperfect action.
Because something that’s 90% ready and published can begin doing its job.
Something that’s 100% perfect but never published can’t.
POLISH
Here’s the part beginners sometimes forget:
You can improve things later.
You can update your website.
You can write a better email next time.
You can improve the headline on your next Facebook post.
You can make your next video better.
And there’s an important advantage to polishing after publishing.
Now you have information.
Did people click?
Did anyone comment?
Did someone reply?
Which subject line got attention?
What questions did people ask?
Action creates feedback.
And feedback can give you something perfectionism never will:
real-world information about what your audience actually wants.
Your Audience Can Help You Improve
Think about that for a moment.
When you endlessly polish something before publishing, who are you getting feedback from?
Mostly yourself.
And you’ve probably already looked at it 37 times!
Once you publish, however, something changes.
People can respond.
Recent research into user-generated video found meaningful relationships between audience feedback and subsequent creator performance, reinforcing the value of the feedback loop that begins only after content reaches an audience.
That’s an important lesson for a content creation strategy.
You don’t always need to figure everything out before you publish.
Sometimes publishing helps you figure out what to do next.
Create → Publish → Feedback → Improve
That’s how experience is built.
That’s taking imperfect action.
Your First Version Isn’t Supposed to Be Your Best Version
Think back to something you’re good at today.
Were you that good the first time you tried it?
Probably not.
So why should building an online business be any different?
Your tenth email should probably be better than your first.
Your twentieth Facebook post should probably be better than your second.
Your fiftieth video should probably be better than your fifth.
That’s not failure.
That’s growth.
The problem comes when we compare our first attempt with someone else’s 500th attempt.
How can you possibly develop your skills if you never give yourself permission to be a beginner?
That’s another reason I believe in taking imperfect action.
Experience doesn’t usually come before action.
Experience comes from action.
Progress Over Perfection
If you’re trying to stop overthinking your online business, try changing the standard you use to judge your day.
Instead of asking:
“Was everything I created today perfect?”
Ask:
“Did I move something forward today?”
Did you publish the Facebook post?
Send the email?
Finish the webpage?
Record the Reel?
Write the blog article?
Great.
Tomorrow you can make something better.
That’s how consistent content creation begins.
One imperfect piece of content becomes two.
Two become ten.
Ten become fifty.
And somewhere along the way, you realize something:
You’re getting better because you’re doing the work.
What Are You Still Waiting to Publish?
Now I want you to think about your own online business.
Is there something sitting unfinished right now?
Maybe it’s an email you’ve been afraid to send.
A Facebook post sitting in Drafts.
A website page that’s “almost ready.”
A reel you recorded but haven’t posted.
A blog article you’ve rewritten three times.
What’s holding you back?
Is there really something important that needs fixing?
Or are you waiting for that magical moment when it finally feels perfect?
Because that moment may never arrive.
And that’s okay.
Your Next Step: Publish ONE Thing
Here’s my challenge for you today.
Find ONE thing you’ve been postponing because it isn’t quite perfect.
Give yourself 30 focused minutes.
Improve what genuinely needs improving.
Fix obvious mistakes.
Make sure your message is useful.
Then stop.
And hit Publish.
Don’t spend another week thinking about it.
Let the real world give you feedback.
Then use what you learn to make the next one better.
Remember the 3-P Rule:
Prepare → Publish → Polish
That’s what taking imperfect action looks like.
Your goal isn’t to create something perfect today.
Your goal is to create something useful, put it into the world, learn from what happens, and improve the next time.
So I’ll leave you with one final question:
What’s the ONE thing you’ve been postponing that you could finally publish today?
Go find it.
Finish it.
Publish it.
