Why avoid perfection in your Projects?

“Perfection can be a graveyard for great ideas!”

Whether you're an illustrator, designer, engineer, developer, or founder, it's all too easy to let your projects get buried beneath the weight of perfectionism. 

Our projects are "our precious". But in our quest for excellence, we often strive to make our creations truly exceptional, spending countless hours polishing, tweaking, and refining, hoping to make them shine. Just a little adjustment here, a tiny fix there, and before you know it, the perfect moment to launch has slipped away. The feedback you hoped for turns lukewarm, burnout sneaks in, and disappointment becomes an all-too-familiar companion.

Even remarkable individuals have walked a similar path. We’re all familiar with Mercedes-Benz, but did you know that the very first car, the Motorwagen, invented by Karl Benz, might never have seen the light of day?

Always doubting himself and reflecting on every detail, Karl Benz was a gifted engineer but struggled in the business world. Despite spending 15 years building his invention and receiving a patent, even after driving his Motorwagen around the city, he remained sceptical about his creation. He found himself constantly dissatisfied, tweaking one thing after another, taking two additional years to refine his work. Benz was particularly anxious about how the public would receive the car, fearing that no one would be interested in buying it: "No, I won't get through this."

How much longer does a perfectionist need to wrap up his project? Six months? A year? Maybe even longer? Bertha Benz did her best to encourage her husband, assuring him that the car was good enough. Yet, she eventually realised that to spark progress, something more powerful than words was required.

On the morning of August 5, 1888, Bertha woke up early and quietly roused her older sons. Together, they took the Motorwagen and set off for a nearby town, about 100 kilometres away, to visit Bertha's mother. Naturally, she kept this plan a secret from Karl; he would never have agreed to such a wild adventure.

At that time, Germany didn't have any paved roads, and the design of the Motorwagen wasn't suited for long-distance journeys. Picture this: the car didn’t even have a gas tank. Instead, they poured fuel directly into the carburettor, which meant it had a rather limited range. The engine stalled just about 30 kilometres into the trip. No worries, though—Bertha headed into a local pharmacy and asked for 10 litres of ligroin, a gasoline-based solvent that worked well as fuel.

If only that had been the end of the adventure! Water needed to be added regularly to the evaporator in the cooling system. Frau Benz unclogged the fuel tube using a pin and wrapped the sparking wire of the induction coil with a stocking garter. She only had to seek outside help when I reached the finish line; a local shoemaker in Baushlotte crafted a new leather brake pad for the car.

When Bertha returned home from her journey, she shared her experiences with her husband, prompting him to make some modifications to the design. A couple of weeks later, Karl finally mustered the courage to send the Motorwagen to an exhibition in Munich. To everyone's surprise, the invention won a gold medal. And thus, the remarkable journey of mechanical engineering began.

Don’t emulate inner Gollum or Karl!

Instead, let’s embrace the journey over the destination. Great things can happen when we let go of perfection and focus on progress!

Embrace the journey of improvement instead of striving for perfection. Engage in A/B testing, invite user feedback during development, and reflect on the insights gained. With each iteration, you'll enhance your outcome, crafting something that resonates with everyone.

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