Episode 1243: Done is Better Than the “Right” Way

[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: Thanks for joining me on episode 1,243 of the Inspired Stewardship Podcast.

[00:00:06] Shannon Miles: I'm Shannon

[00:00:07] Miles from Belay. I challenge you to discover your calling and find your third option so you can be empowered to live every day to the fullest. One way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this The Inspired Stewardship Podcast with my friend and Scott

[00:00:22] Maderer.

[00:00:23] Scott Maderer: Now let's talk about knowing when you can move quickly like that and when you should actually spend a little bit of more time making a decision. I like to talk to my clients about the difference between an all in or fatal decision and something that you can modify or change. It's welcome, and thank you for joining us on the Inspired Stewardship Podcast.

[00:00:51] If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent, and your treasures [00:01:00] for your true calling In the Inspired Stewardship Podcast, who will learn to invest in yourself, invest in others, and develop your influence so that you can impact the world.

[00:01:13] In today's episode about investing in others by stewarding your time, I talk with you about why you've likely heard Done is better than perfect, but why I expand that to done is better than the right way. I also talk about why obsessing about the right way keeps you stuck, and I share how to filter which decisions you need to spend more time on in which you can move quickly.

[00:01:36] As we talk about stewarding your time, wouldn't it be great if you could support this podcast and do it without just taking too long? Turns out you can't. All you have to do is use inspired stewardship.com/amazon. When you're ready to make a purchase via Amazon, and a small commission will come back to support the show.

[00:01:54] Just that quick. If you enjoy the show, when you're ready to buy from Amazon, [00:02:00] just use inspired stewardship.com/. , you often heard that done is better than perfect, and that's a really true statement. This idea that perfectionism holds us back from being able to complete things, get them out in the world and move forward with them, is definitely something that keeps a lot of people stuck.

[00:02:24] But I also thinking about it as done is better than the right. Now, let me be careful and explain what I mean by right way. I don't mean following the rules per se, or doing it the way somebody else has asked you to do it, especially if you're an employee right here is not as in right or wrong, right?

[00:02:44] Means that a lot of times we obsess so much. About not just what the product is, the perfect thing, but even in how we get it done, all of the steps along the [00:03:00] process. A lot of times we focus not just on is the final product, correct, but have we taken all of the right steps and what are those steps?

[00:03:12] We obsess way more about even the process that we use. that even just the results and it paralyzes us, it gets us stuck because the truth is that done is what gets results done is what gets feedback done is what lets us know whether or not we're on the right track. We can always work on making the process more efficient or more complete, or more quote after we've got something out there, it's this idea of putting out a minimum viable product, something that at least gets the job done, and then worrying about getting it [00:04:00] right, about making sure all the steps are taken about making sure that we do all of the things that we're supposed to do, that this step is the most efficient or the most effective, or we have the best tools to.

[00:04:13] I'm asked by people that are starting a podcast, Should I hire an editor right outta the gate? There's nothing wrong with that. There's also nothing wrong with deciding that I'm going to edit it myself, even though I'm maybe not gonna do as good a job and it's not gonna sound as good. This could just be an experiment.

[00:04:31] Trust me, there's almost no one that podcast where if you go back and listen to their first. It sounds the same as their hundredth or 200th or 1000th episode because they get better at the process as they go. That's part of the experience. So done is not only better than perfect, done is better than doing it the right way.

[00:04:55] Obsessing about the way we do it, obsessing about the [00:05:00] product that we produce. That's what keeps you stuck. That's what keeps you from experimenting. That's what keeps you from moving forward. That's what keeps you from making progress. And the truth is, when you put something out into the world, first off, nobody knows what process you used, and most people won't notice most mistakes.

[00:05:20] The sound quality on a podcast may not be as good on one podcast as it is on another, but you may still listen. Because it's not only about how it sounds, it's also about the content and the person, and whether or not it connects with you much more, you can still improve it and fix it and do it again another way a little better after you've got it out in the world, because that's where you get feedback.

[00:05:51] That's where you find out somebody's Ugh, I don't like this, or I do like that. And you get to decide is that feedback that you need or want to [00:06:00] take? It's okay to also say, I hear you, but I'm choosing to do it this way. But it gives you that opportunity to get feedback so that you can learn and improve and not just spend all of your time in research mode in getting it perfect mode in trying.

[00:06:21] Really work out the right way to do it before you even know what you're doing. Now, let's talk about knowing when you can move quickly like that and when you should actually spend a little bit of more time making a decision. I like to talk to my clients about the difference between an all in or fatal decision, and that you can modify or change. It's not fatal, it's survivable. You can tweak it as you go. A decision that's a irreversible one versus one that is reversible, [00:07:00] that's what really matters because if it's a relatively small, irreversible decision, it might be something that you wanna spend some time on, even though it's a smaller decision.

[00:07:11] Because at the end of the day, once you've made that decision, It's very difficult to undo it. On the other hand, if it is a reversible decision, even a large reversible decision, one that doesn't cost you a lot of time or energy or resources beyond what you readily have available, then make the decision quickly and move on.

[00:07:36] It's almost one of those flip a coin. Picking something is better than obsessing about which one's the right decision. Because it's only through moving forward that you can refine it, that you can find out is this the right decision or not. And even then you can reverse that decision relatively easily.

[00:07:57] That's the whole point. That's why I like [00:08:00] to think about decisions in terms of how much of an investment of my time, my energy, my money, my effort, my emotions. Does this decision take, Is it one that if I get it wrong, it's gonna beat me? And it's going to affect my relationships and all sorts of things in my life.

[00:08:20] If it is, and it's a high impact decision, then I need to spend some time and energy. I need to get more information. I need to talk to other people. I need to get input from those people. But I think a lot of times we think decisions are like that. When the reality is they're a relatively reversible decision.

[00:08:42] They don't cost money that we don't already have. They don't take time that we can't afford to invest, and at the end of the day, they would get us information that we can use to move forward more effectively. If it's that kind of decision, flip a coin, pick one, move [00:09:00] forward, let's go, because it's through that activity and that motion and the momentum that you really figure.

[00:09:08] What is the right way at the end of the day? Thanks for listening.

[00:09:14] Thanks so much for listening to the Inspired Stewardship Podcast. As a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. If you like this episode on the Stewardship of Time, be sure to sign up for our stewardship of Time tips series by going to inspired stewardship.com/time, or texting 4 4 2 2 2 time tips and that'll get you our best tips on stewarding your time.

[00:09:56] Until next time, invest your. [00:10:00] Your talent and your treasures. Develop your influence and impact the world.