The work is never finished. You’ve gotta ship it anyway. If you wait too long, you’ll wind up succumbing to perfectionistic procrastination. The irony is that I think I shipped too quickly most of the time.
The reason it bothers me is more because I figured at some point I’d master these skills. Write flawlessly. Tell seamless stories. Knock out a new design in the first go. And yet, everything I make requires revision. Correction. Maybe even getting tossed in the bin and forgotten.
Exercises like this series are great for getting back in the rhythm of writing regularly, but the pace of content creation cuts back on how much we can revise. It’s not a sign of a lack of mastery that I could work on a project forever if only I had the time, and it’s not a sign of greatness when we do spend years on something before ever showing the world.
In a world where rapidity and frequency matter so much, will we ever master anything again? Will anyone stop long enough to enjoy it even if we do? Or will we keep rushing on to the next thing - swiping up through rot after rot?
For me, the joy remains in the revision. In the pursuit of mastery. Even if no one ever sees it, I will know how much I put in and how far I’ve come as a result. The end result is no longer the end goal, but a means to launch myself back into the process.
This is a special series for Jay’s 40th year. To receive all posts straight to your inbox, be sure to subscribe.
