How to Avoid the Spiral of Perfectionism

[@tested]

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[@aserta]

Send Adam to watch "Answers with Joe"'s latest episode (as of this comment, the one with the separation of the brain. If Adam doesn't know about it, yet, it's probably one of the most important "mind boggles" a person can find out about. I knew about it tangentially, but Joe exposed some new facets to the knowledge pocket that explain a lot about how one's person head works. When i watched the video, i instantly pinned out Adam as one of the people who'd benefit from the knowledge the most.

[@solarindependentutilitysystems]

Question have you ever been attacked for your projects Man you should hear our story

[@bRianizzle]

Whoever is in charge of the editing of these videos, I want to thank you for not cutting out the long pauses of thought that Adam has. Most channels would cut out the silence to keep the attention. But I really enjoy seeing the gears turn in Adam's head in real time. I love how often he pauses to think about his words. I have a lot of trouble in my own head choosing words, and there is something calming about watching Adam think. Again, thank you.

[@blackdog6969]

We all love Adam and know he has years of skill and knowledge, but the pauses really do add to the credibility and genuineness of his words. It really shows how he thinks before he speaks, or acts and that to me is a great quality

[@hayestweed7143]

My father’s voice plays on a loop in my head, “Don’t let perfection get in the way of getting the job done!” I miss my father, but I’m grateful for the lessons he left me.

[@Ottophil]

My dad was the opposite. He said do it perfectly or don’t do it at all.

[@infrabread]

One of my colleagues said "if I mess up, I have to do this again. And that's really gonna piss me off." Which is a less "elegant" phrase, but it stil works.

[@BackroadsGarage]

Getting stuck in this loop is easy to do nowadays. I feel alot of people look at a youtuber building something and say mine isn't good enough which really isn't the point. The point is to build something you can always build it better.

[@ROOKTABULA]

I still hear my recently (finally) dead father too: "You're s failure.", "That is garbage.", "If you're not even going to try, why bother?", "You're a loser." Thanks 'Dad'. 🤬👎☠️

[@user-fk8zw5js2p]

Practical perfectionism: "If it's worth doing, then it's worth doing well." Or maybe this was just a way to tell a child that something unnecessary is necessary or that the child needs to do a better job next time.

[@Tamajyn69]

I started 2024 by adopting "finished is better than perfect" and i've had a reasonably productive year. I do wish i'd done a bit more, but I don't want to force creativity, and i've done a hell of a lot more this year than 2023 so that's a win.

[@ConsistentImprovement]

I'm going to give this a try. Thanks

[@KeenerDudeProductions]

❤

[@user-fk8zw5js2p]

Hard deadlines, even if self-imposed, can help with perfection obsession. At least, they helped with my drawing. Pencil and eraser provides unlimited opportunities for getting things perfect which means drawings are never finished as long as you don't seal it with clear coat. If i have to draw something in only 1 minute, then i make a lot of bad drawings, but also a few gems and i also get much better at sketching.

[@DavidSchmitt]

Yesssss! 👏👏

[@MatthewMe]

On the perfectionism issue, I'd suggest something Adam recently talked about - build it multiple times. But in this case it's not about working out the details, it's about ascending levels of complexity. Build it simple, build it with some details, then try to do the thing that you'll be super happy with. That way, you at least get started on the prototype, and learn what's feasible to include and what's not.

[@1pcfred]

Yeah the first time you do something doesn't always have to be the last.

[@coolruehle]

I'm in the planning stages of a model railroad right now. Your our advice speaks volumes to me. Start simple. Make sure the bench work and track work is perfect so the trains run without derailment. Then start building the scenery around that. Thank you

[@1pcfred]

@@coolruehle I wouldn't look at you funny if you made a model of a model. Having a physical model in front of you is a powerful thing. I don't know what it is like in other people's minds but I can only visualize so much detail in mine.

[@ares395]

This would work but money and motivation are a scarce resource in my life... Which I hate because I love being a maker but I just struggle with myself...

[@1pcfred]

@@ares395 things don't have to cost a lot. When I modeled my workshop I used scrap cardboard, hot glue and some craft paint. I really didn't outlay any cash at all. It was stuff I had lying around. I was very proud of the scale model I made too. I really got into making it. Dumpster dive. We all do it. I bet I could talk Adam into diving into a dumpster even today. I've picked some of the best stuff I own out of the trash.

[@altonT]

As a somewhat wise man once said, " he who seeks perfection, doesn't get a whole lot done".

[@coolruehle]

Well spoken!!!

[@hanslain9729]

Perfection is the enemy of good enough.

[@robertorup9680]

True!

[@user-fk8zw5js2p]

Perfection is a direction, not a destination. Unless you want to go to perfectly flawed.

[@emctwoo]

In glassblowing, one of my instructors really emphasizes the idea of “thinking through making”, that the act of making must play a fundamental role in how you conceive of a piece. Crucially, beyond just being willing to revise an idea part way through creation (eg “no plan survives first contact with the enemy”), your best, most effective ideas will be those ones actively shaped during that process. Not merely being prepared to adapt to a plan gone “wrong,” but also staying open to how creating will spark new, better ideas to incorporate

[@brentcleever7332]

I'm in my 69th year and been a modeller for most of it ( started with lego) and was lucky enough to have access to all the kits of the 50s and 60s. Each one completed to my satisfaction. As I got into scratch building I kept that ethos and still find it satisfying to complete a project the way I see it and how it's built and presented. Is it perfect? To who? I'm happy. Great show Adam, do what you do well. An old saying, don't count rivets.

[@peterthinks]

"Perfect is the enemy of good." Adam Savage from Every tool's a hammer. You covered this in your book. I live by those words. First iteration is crap, but at least it's a start.

[@willhutton1516]

As a machinist and tool & die maker, the death spiral of perfectionism is real here too. Surface finishes and efficiency is one of the most common here. The best way I get over it is I say “doesn’t need to be optimized to be correct, YET” that “yet” is what helps me try (and sometimes fail) at trying something new! Just today, when I was on the lathe as an apprentice, I didn’t know much about surface footage, so I didn’t know what to change and when. When they said “hey, we need a groove in this hardened steel part. Can you do it?” I said, “let me see”. Sad to say that I scrapped the part cause I tried grooving with a Carbide Bit at 450 SFM instead of 50 lol! Just today I tried it out and it worked perfectly! Don’t be afraid to try and fail first! While there are always better ways to do stuff, not everything requires the best and fastest methods!

[@CamJak]

Thank you Adam for these wise words! Over time I have learned to focus more on the long run. In my case: "It won't be the last film you'll make." I now see single projects as the entire process of my work. A project no longer has to be perfect as long as it is part of a constantly evolving process in which I gain new experiences and develop new ideas. By changing this focus from a single project to an overarching period of many projects in a phase of life, it is now possible to enjoy more the time spent with the project and the people involved in it. The time spent creating plays a much larger role in our lives than looking at the finished result. And even if looking at the result gives us a feeling of satisfaction, years later what we experienced and with whom when we created the work is much more important in our memory.

[@BonesHealBikesDont]

I struggled with perfectionism with things i made for a long time until i incorporated the concept of "allowable deviation." The most masterfully machined part of the most critical equipment is still made with some amount of defined tolerance. However perfectly something is made, if you look closely enough you will find deviation. Ultra-trace laboratory analysis come with the associated error. The closer you get to "perfect" the more important knowing the deviation becomes. I apply this to my projects by setting my intention before i start. I decide how much deviation is allowable depending on what i want from the finished item. As i work through the build, i check my deviation and as long as im within my parameters, i carry on. If im not, then i go back and fix/redo as needed. The important thing is that the allowable deviation is never 0. There is always some deviation if you look closely enough. This has helped me not only get builds completed but also be much happier with my finished results.

[@patmayer7222]

Yes,,,,I agree,,,,,......hence = there are 50 types of hammers😮❤

[@joshmm141]

Tested has that stability because day in and day out, you guys show up and put in the work. It’s clear from this side of the screen. Upgraded my membership today because of that stability!

[@ephsk0t]

I've gotten stuck in Analysis-Paralysis a lot in the past. And I tend to overthink things, trying to predict all possible issues that may come up. I totally get the desire for perfectionism. What helped me get past that was to set limitations and deadlines. Where I only think about the problem for a certain amount of time and where I have to meet certain milestones by certain times.

[@KeenerDudeProductions]

❤

[@patmayer7222]

First I've heard of this analogy,...,good one,,,best of the week😮

[@patmayer7222]

So,,,,I suffer A.P.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,is there a pill ( total joke)😮

[@tychosis]

I'm in engineering. Our projects move quickly and there never seems to be enough time or money. Like many other things in life, it's all about 'picking your battles.' Determine the stuff you absolutely cannot compromise on, and determine the stuff where there's a little more room. I know engineers who look at *every single task* as though they have the same importance, and not every problem does.

[@StumpkillerCP]

Perfection is the enemy of good enough. I have the same problem, sometimes. Then I sit back and try to imagine how to solve a problem more simply or basically. The most wonderful thing is when you have a single feature that accomplishes two or three functions. Elegance in place of individual, if perfect, functions.

[@Alex-js5lg]

Adam, I appreciate what you're doing here. You're an excellent mentor and role model.

[@7thsealord888]

Good stuff. I feel like it comes down to, "Just Start". The *worst* case scenario is that you'll then have something to analyze later for where you might've gone wrong.

[@littleloohoo1678]

After all this time you have always been someone I looked up too

[@cannibalbananas]

Love hearing your pearls of wisdom, Adam. ❤

[@DrSuperKamiGuru]

I love the sheer amount of very specific life advice I get from Adam just from other people asking for it.

[@benjabarker1255]

A motto I have to repeat to myself on many projects: Finished is BETTER than perfect.

[@char3474]

Sometimes i create something in my mind. But the reason it doesn’t get made is because while it is in my mind, it is perfect, so i lazily let it live there. Experience has taught me that the minute i get to work on that perfect thing, a series of errors and corrections will unfold, and that final product will be scarred a bit. Correcting errors is work. Sometimes i am too tired. But when i do plow through with blinkers, and ignore being tired, and set everything aside in my life…that imperfect specimen is always worth the effort. And it will be good enough. Just my thoughts.

[@watcher1326]

Very relatable content. Will have to let some of those points sit in my brain for a bit.

[@StarwarsNut2]

I used to desperately need to make everything perfect. I would run out of time and make a mess of my work. Now I'm medicated, that helps a lot. I can take things step by step and make a plan. Planning one step at a time makes things a lot better. Now things can be almost perfect (to me anyways), or at least get done.

[@MarquisdeL3]

"Perfect is the enemy of good" is my motto. Someone else commented that you can build things again and improve them. That's currently where I am with a cosplay (Gale from BG3). I got the whole thing done, but now I'm going to go back and redo or improve things. (Ex. I did his bracers and belt by covering foam with pleather, but now I'm planning to remake them properly with leather. It'll take some time, but I have the ones I already made so I can still wear him.)

[@preferredimage]

My go to phrase is "It's not just good, its good enough....." which has served me well so far.

[@patmayer7222]

I'm not building a church,,,,,......move on😮

[@springmontes]

The best advice I've ever heard about perfectionism.

[@Nicole-l8g]

Yay! I could listen to your knowledge ALL Day!

[@rossdax47]

MVP has saved me creatively. Working in learning & development, I've often been frozen with building the next lesson or learning experience. When i started asking clients and myself what is the MInimim Viable Product and what would be the Ideal State, suddenly rhe need to be perfect out of the gate got out of my way. I now have the freedom to start with iteration in mind, making small changes to improve the product or training each time it is used. Good and delivered and better than perfect and still planning.

[@TheCodeMonk]

David Freiburger said it well: "Don't get it right, just get it running" and I have to remind myself of that sometimes to keep moving because then I can work on improvements after I have something usable.

[@tested]

That’s so great!

[@TheStockwell]

If Kubrick could get to a point and say to himself, "Well, that's as good as it's going to get" - then there's hope for the rest of us. Best wishes from Vermont 🍁

[@michaeljgraff]

advice from a drill Sargent. You give a private (new soldier) 10 hours to do a task, it will never get done. You give them 10 minutes and the task will be done, the barracks will be cleaned and everyone will be on line with full knowledge of how the thing works.

[@Alex-js5lg]

"Diamonds are forged under pressure," basically.

[@JimHep]

Don’t be paralyzed by perfection. Adam you did a video that was in the same vein as this and it inspired me to do my first wood working project. I have been wanting to build a Wannigan for yrs, but just could not bring myself to do it because I was so consumed with the concern it wouldn’t be perfect. I am halfway through the build and just as I suspected, it is not perfect, but at the same time…it’s perfect.

[@felixdzerjinsky5244]

the paralysis of analysis.....very real. I have real issues with it from time to time. I will set the project down, and work on something else for a few days and when I come back to the project later the problem seems a lot less daunting.

[@frankgulla2335]

Sage words, Adam. Thank you.

[@justinanderson3095]

It makes me so relieved to see my struggles are not unique

[@garybrindle6715]

Another short but excellent peep into your thinking Adam , thanks from another creative writer,photographer and occasional cosplay maker. You unearth fragments of thought and tease away the encrustation leaving behind sparkling attractive addictive ideas.

[@coinopanimator]

I've found that setting a deadline for a project is a great way to get something done and finished. I have many projects that I have never finished or have served as experiments to something else down the road so it does not always work. Recently I've set myself the arbitrary deadline of posting a completed animation every two weeks which has itself created a box in which I have found that creatively has pushed me onward.

[@frankmalenfant2828]

I have struggled a lot with this too. And my strategy is to have a place where I just write down all the crazy ideas to offload them from my brain, and then focus on a Minimum Viable Prototype that I can iterate from after that. Break the project into pieces and focus on the core. If it's still too much, you can focus on a skill you will need to work on with this project. Just get stuff done, and the key of it is offloading any other idea from your brain so you keep your focus. You don't need to offload the idea as soon as it comes. You may take some time to enjoy it in your mind and please your creativity with this exercise, but then you write it all down and get back to work.

[@zoeross4183]

I so needed this. I’ve been sewing for the past several years but recently I’ve been having a major block working on one of my projects (a plush dragon backpack). I’m making two and it’s taken me several months when it really should have taken a few days😞

[@Netbug009]

Needed this reminder today as I waffle about on a piece of writing. Thank you!

[@davidmoore_oo1]

I really liked this one. The questions, the answers, all . . chef's kiss. My 12yo niece is going to see this one, and I need to re-watch it until I get it into my neverdone/neverstarted weed of a brain.

[@Dnbootin]

absolutely amazing quote there at the end, this is good mix of stuff I needed to hear as a photographer/movie set worker, and stuff that I’d already learned the hard way. I’m also starting to realize how much of my life path has been affected by the eclectic mythbusters crew, especially yourself. It was always so clear that you/y’all were in pursuit of some intangible truth, whether or not you think a myth would be true or not! Btw your talk at the Hot Springs ecliptic fest was amazing, wish I’d have said hi to you that weekend!

[@matthewbyrne8330]

I hate when half way through a project, you start to realize there was a better way to do certain step. That also help further steps down the road, and would led to a better final product. I find it difficult to continue that project with the same excitement. Because I could have done it better, if only I could start over.

[@1pcfred]

If you've never done something before it is very unlikely you're going to get it perfect the first time around. With enough experience this eventually becomes an obvious truth.

[@coolruehle]

Sooooo true!!!

[@86fifty]

I'm pretty sure Adam would say, that when that happens, the best thing to do is write down your thought process on how to do it better - draw it, etc - just leave your future self a note about it. Then finish the version you're working on. With impatience to get to making it again. Then make it again, using those notes you had. Of course, this only works for hobby, if there's no due-date, if you have enough time and materials to make version 2.0 I think that's what Adam would say.

[@1pcfred]

@@86fifty I don't know about professionals being magicians. Sometimes they can be. But not all the time.

[@samipso]

It's incredibly interesting to me how I want to have things perfect, but to get there I have to "self hack" to steer me there. You'd think the knowledge about your own perfectionism would be enough, but it takes so much effort still.

[@wise_lynx]

This hits home

[@spacekb17]

Currently building an R2D2 and needed to hear this since it’s a huge project and if I aim for perfection on every step I’ll never finish.

[@cidmontenegro8225]

In the past few years I have heard the phrase 'don't let perfect be the enemy of good'. Turns out similar phrases have been around for a long time... Voltaire: "The best is the enemy of the good." Shakespeare: "Striving to better, oft we mar what's well." and perhaps Confucius: "Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without."

[@Grampagrows2]

The way to deal with perfection is to know when to say "Close Enough"and move on to the next project

[@TheBlueArcher]

I like your answer, when you said some of your favourite pieces were under a time crunch. I thought, another benefit of thinking of your own work like that, is that limitations boost creativity. I've come up with the most ingenious solutions, (sometimes even better than my "standard" way of doing things) simply because there was a limitation I had to overcome. When I (and i'm sure many people) are presented with a limitation, something just clicks on the creative side of the brain. I think in ways that I just don't when I don't have a limitation.

[@PEACE-xq8bf]

Adam Savage, you’re the best!

[@visualartsbyjr2464]

Perfectionism is one hell of a demon. I’m currently working on an ink drawing and thought I messed up badly on one part. I asked an artist friend what she thought I could do to fix it. Her reply? “I don’t see what you’re talking about.” Was quite a dumbstruck moment for me. Barely 2cm sq of a 280mmx2800mm piece and only I see it. Chasing to be perfect is a waste of time. Sure, you’ll have goof-ups along the way but as Bob Rose called them, “Happy little accidents” that you can build and learn from.

[@1pcfred]

What's even funnier is when you look at something you did years ago and you can't even find the flaws you vaguely remember hating. All you do remember is you didn't like it for some reason that you can't quite recall. Or you see the flaws and think, that's not so bad. In the moment things tend to magnify.

[@paulwildman9080]

@@1pcfred Definitely this.

[@1pcfred]

@@paulwildman9080 I've had it happen to me and it's definitely changed me. One of those epiphany moments. Today I'm just happy if I do anything at all. Because I'm already ahead of most folks then. Perfect? Fat chance of that. Just get it across the finish line. Even if you come in dead last you were still in the race. The other thing I like to say when I mess up is, The beauty of handmade. Haha

[@robo5013]

Take time to step back and look at it from a distance, like any other viewer would see it. When you are spending all your time with your nose hovering an inch from the project you will see every little 'mistake.' If you go over a Monet or a Rembrandt with a magnifying glass you will find a bunch of imperfections. Art is meant to be viewed from a certain distance.

[@1pcfred]

@@robo5013 Art is meant to evoke an emotional response in the beholder. To that end it is difficult to define what imperfections are.

[@rickreads4674]

I made a protoype for a camera rig out of some plastic packaging waste just to test a concept (it was in the approximate shape of what it needed to be, and it worked). I think over time you just get better at the process, the paralysis doesn't last as long the more you do it. After the trifle bowl worked, I then drew it up on CAD and had it 3D printed, and I sent it to the client (warts and all) and they were more than happy with it.

[@KORNdog1986]

I get this a lot. It doesn't necessarily prevent a project starting. But it often pauses a project from progressing, and it's usually when I hit a point that I feel less confident in. Preparing, building, modifying a model kit? Smooth sailing. Applying decals, painting it? Less so. And so I hit a wall. I want this thing to be as perfect as possible. And I feel like my model making represents that...but my paint might not and so I stall...sometimes indefinitely. I get the fear of screwing up so bad that I just...don't try. And this gets worse the higher the cost of the thing I'm making is. So i find the best work around for me is to effectively build my confidence in the areas that caused these stalls. Paint a cheap model kit. Practice paint techniques. Get more practice with an airbrush. Apply a ton of cheap decals to a cheap kit just so it all just feels like second nature when you want to actually approach the real model.

[@brentdhedrick]

Me too. Analysis paralysis runs so strong with me that I will research the project so much that I feel complete having watched something built so many times that I lose my desire to build it myself.

[@Diabolical-Divinity]

Your ambitions are so much more plausible now you are not trying to pull your shoulder out when you are reaching. Thats nice! My arms come off a few times, I just reach for something else.

[@Kizmar]

I'm in my mid-40's, and as I've gotten older, I've found that the ambition I had in my career to learn learn grow grow has changed to more of an ambition to enjoy my life and the people around me. That young entrepreneur in me has settled into that stable, comfortable place.

[@rfox2014]

Great insight. I’ve experienced this as well

[@Heothbremel]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ mom always says "not perfect, just done' and i have come to "focus on what's in front of you", both of which have helped somewhat....

[@handlemonium]

Adam, being intuitive with CAD or any 3D modeling & editing software is an act of becoming, not naturally. I'm in an "Intro to GIS" class and boy has it been the most painfully mind-numbing first 100 hours getting a grip on what I can do in ArcGIS Pro and the labyrinth-like workflows of how to do it all. As The Frizz likes to emphasize: "Get messy! Make mistakes!"

[@tehRealPRM420]

4:49 be ambitious, shoot for the moon, if you miss, you got the stars. Practically can be anything. It may not seam to practical to anyone else but if you believe in your goal and work hard towards it. Chances are your goals are further in reach than anyone else thinks. :).

[@clinch4402]

Ironic that this video came out on the same day as Wintersun's Time 2. A perfectionist album that took 20 years to complete.

[@gregmoore8556]

''Even A Brick Wants To Be Something'' - Louis Kahn. One of my dad's favorite quotes.

[@violinmiata]

Letting my work turn out as it wants is most of my process these days with violin making. Balancing sculpture and sound is a wild thing to do, especially when you work wood. No two pieces of wood are truly the same. My clients expect my work and they get it, but it’s a constant intuition that drives the outcome from my end.

[@paulclancy4221]

I love client deadlines as a web designer. I've done my best work when there's a deadline. Adam, you hit the nail on the head with the George Harrison comment. The project at hand will dictate itself to you as you go along.

[@Legomanfred]

I've long thought of perfection as an ideal, not a reality. I've watched friends and family trying to be perfect and nothing ever gets done due to the restraints perfection creates. Great video, "perfect" topic. 😉

[@nathkrupa3463]

Great video sir

[@jasondonald2028]

One my tips for this is just get started with the intention of the first iteration WILL be wrong but use that to fuel revisions to make it better as you go

[@unclebedhead9099]

constraints. they help narrow the focus and avoid the overwhelm of possibility. if you don't have any, add some. or have someone else add some. try to build a small piece and see if there are any constraints that you weren't aware of. constraints add challenge and focus. sometimes constraints can be found to be misguided, and need to be changed, but even so, having them at the beginning helps to get started.

[@toddcumberland132]

I often think there is another thought in this question. The obvious phrase "perfection is the enemy of the good". I think what is often overlooked is that there needs to be a base of competency. Often people are unwilling to develop the skills of competency. I used to volunteer at a local High School and maker space. I am an engineer with an applied background in manufacturing, aerospace and R and D. . The resistance to learning the basics, Math , machine operation , so on. Which is the fundamental foundation in achieving success in your project. So in your response, I think one has to accurately understand your skills, what is reasonable that you can learn, in the time you think you have available. I tend to think the perfection death spiral is actually an understanding problem.

[@DadsRCGaragePNW]

Just start. Know you can rebuild. Usually after you’re done you realize how it could be better or simpler. Just start. As you go you can change or start again.

[@melanierhianna]

I never finish my big models but I have finished something. I was on a TV show and we had three days and that was finished because I had no choice. Having deadlines helps a lot.

[@paulrobinson7140]

Omg i needed to hear this articulated 😂today, very overwhelmed by the worldbuilding scope (analysis paralysis on steroids) of a novel project and had a stetn word with myself this morning to get out of the rut somehow and get the cart back on the track first and foremost, perfection be damned, do timely as hell for me 👍.

[@CallousCoder]

I learned how to break out of the death spiral in software design, music and special/visual effects is to set myself minimal targets that need to be implemented and a fixed time frame and budget to do them in. Because the truth is, creations are never finished or perfect.

[@mistabone3899]

This is the hardest thing for me to get past. Paul Harvey had a bit about it. When do you know it is ready? "When they take it away" It was about a woodmaker and all the sanding he wood to till it was perfect...or they took it away. Thanks Adam.

[@_AJH_]

I think sometimes it stems from trying to be perfect to stop others saying things like, “why didn’t you just do this or that.

[@BitsOfInterest]

I used to get stuck in planning 20 years ago and then when I make it it never works as planned. Just accept you're going to miss something and you'll have to figure it out while building. Your blade width for your different saws is a great one in the beginning 😂 I now design for mistakes and how to hide them. Put cuts and fasteners at the back or bottom, inside where possible. Even when I point out all the flaws where something is off 1/16th or 1.5mm nobody around me sees it or agrees it's a problem. I have myself forgotten where the mistakes are for things I built years ago until I need to fix or change it 😜

[@bythelee]

I tend to aim for "as best I can make it", because I know that my best is never going to be perfect. But even that goal makes me stall ever starting it, because I know whatever I do will always leave something to be desired. Setting a time goal kills the project completely for me. It forces me to abandon it completely, rather than be totally disappointed with a rushed, mediocre, half-finished result. The only way I get past this block, is to divide the project into smaller, more manageable chunks. Focus on one aspect, perhaps the one fundamental underlying "tech" without which the rest of it will be a waste of time. Then build it cheaply and simply. That helps to clarify how a more complex, ultimate version would work. And also often resolves many of the other "possibilities" as viable or not, or showing better ways of doing them, as that first "working prototype" takes shape. It remains slow going, but making the first build something small enough (as a sub-part) to get it done and functional (not pretty, not perfect, but "proof of concept") lays a foundation for determining the shape of the rest of the whole, letting me finalise that "chase for perfection" design with something proven to be viable. As a record, I planned a project for five whole years, before starting. It involved cutting open the back of a saloon car to convert it into a hatchback, and if I got it wrong, I'd be totally without wheels. So, there was pressure to get it right. In the end, I only hit two or three snags, all of which had been pre-empted with plan Bs, and the result was successful beyond my wildest dreams. I drove that car for another five years, and 60k miles, without the slightest problem. All while enjoying the benefits of a vastly more practical hatchback that could carry just about any load imaginable. Like a big refridgerator AND washing machine (simultaneously) for 400 miles, all inside the car, with the hatch door closed. Why do that? Because, as a poor student, I could not afford to buy ANY replacement vehicle, never mind something more suitable than the 4 door saloon I inherited.

[@MichaelRoachDavid]

😂, Sometimes, you just have to build it and build it again. Doing something is better than nothing. I learn from my building. It teaches me what it wants to be

[@phyconautwaterworld198]

I am a perfectionist especially when I build gear, especially boats, for daily use in my sea farming projects. The problem is that materials and skill levels of local artisans make perfection unattainable without frequent redos, sending back materials and other actions that increase costs and prolong timelines. It is the Japanese aesthetic of “Wabi Sabi” that helps to preserve my sanity. It is the ability to accept, or even to embrace, imperfections so long as they do not impair functionality. I even made small wabi sabi stickers that I place by some of the more glaring imperfections. These remind to not sweat it … just enjoy it.

[@Alex-js5lg]

Two sayings I've heard that put it well: "Don't let perfect be the enemy of good," and, "good enough for government work."

[@cidmontenegro8225]

I'd say those 2 phrases are not the same at all. The first implies you end up with at least 'good' work. 'good enough for gov't work' is setting the bar pretty low. As someone that has worked in the gov't (but no longer), no private company could exist if it was run like the gov't

[@KeenerDudeProductions]

Love this ✌️

[@ericw1355]

I think the answer to dealing with the death spiral is something adam said in another video....BUILD IT THREE TIMES...the first time just DO IT, dont worry if it is bad just do it quickly and consider it a rough draft...then refine it, fix what you dont like about the first build...learn from your mistakes....then compare the first and second to each other....see how much youve improved, see yourself getting closer to perfection that you have put in your mind...you will see incremental success...the third build will yield even more results and then you will HOPEFULLY realize that perfection isnt something you will EVER achieve and realize that its not about perfection its about being better than you were before...thats what its about, its about self improvement

[@hananas2]

The way I learned to just get building things, is to start by making a prototype which you know is going to be terrible and won't be good enough. In that one you'll discover so many of the flaws before you ever put real effort into it. It's what I learned in design school! we always started with a basic "spit prototype" made from scraps, cardboard, hot glue, tape etc.

[@oriolesfan2463]

I think the key point of this, at least for me, is I have such a small amount of time outside my daily job, we don’t want to “waste” our limited free time for what we consider cool. That’s the hardest for me.

[@pugthemaster8]

I really resonated with the sentiment to NOT feel the constant need to grow and do more, but strive for stability. The job I have now is stable, puts the food on the table, and I find fulfilling. Why would I care if I could make 10k or 20k more if i just did X Y or Z?

[@cachejewels8532]

The phrase: It is what it is... Or Sometimes less is more.

[@nancyreid8729]

Except in opera, where more is more. Told to me by an opera costume designer, because in that field, there is no “too much.”

[@anthonyx916]

There is a bit of wisdom in the field of software development enunciated in "The Mythical Man Month" (first published in 1975) which basically states that problems are never properly solved on the first try. Every attempt is worth doing because it will teach you how to make a subsequent attempt better. Perfection is an ideal which can never be realized, only approached. Start by knowing that you will make compromises to "get it done", and some future iteration will be the "best ever".

[@skjelm6363]

I learned all the years in Art: *Seek perfection, while knowing there is no perfection.*

[@quietspark8703]

True art lies not in perfection but in creative imperfection.

[@clinch4402]

Nice, I like this quote. Did you find it anywhere?

[@MichaelSuperbacker]

Hello 👋

[@Macekinaizaugla]

To the whole spiral thing... words of one of my art professors... "If you feel you cannot start, force yourself to make a line. Then another line. And eventually you will be fully in it" Applies to making too.. Get smallest possible task done. Its step towards starting, and eventually finishing.

[@billbucktube]

There are those of us who have not overcome our need for perfection. It is a stall out when I miss the mark by making a mistake. My work-around is to know that I will probably have to make three widgets to get it good. If I accidentally get it in two makes, hooray! If I nail the first make I break out a celebratory beverage and bask in it for a bit.

[@DavidSchmitt]

The way I fixed it for me was a phase of deliberately choosing the MOST JANK solution I could come up with. It suddenly became easy to start because knowing it was jank, there was no commitment.

[@coolruehle]

My best builds are when I'm under a time crunch and I've got to get it done by a certain date. That's when I can get it done. When I don't have a deadline, that's when I get hamstrung by the details!!!

[@edgar9651]

Sometimes/often good enough is good enough.

[@ares395]

Now this is a video I needed for a long time... This is one of the worst things I struggle with. If only I also didn't just react the way I do when it comes to mistakes and mediocre results... It just hurts me when you pour blood, sweat and tears and end up with something that looks straight up like DIY and you spend probably more money than if you paid someone to make it for you and they would do it much better... Oh btw funny story, a recent project of mine was a first time cosplay attempt. I made a lot of mistakes because I focused on the details instead of the bigger picture (like I bought fabric 2 times too short because I forgot it needs to be layered 2 times etc.) and overall my motivation just kept going down, due to life, until it became this very low effort project. I also almost didn't even get to wear it. Funny thing. I've never gotten so many compliments for anything in my entire life. How funny is that... If I went full on effort it'd probably end up being worse haha. I still have no idea how that happened, maybe the simplicity just worked with this particular project or it was the fact that I didn't have overthinking ruin me because I was like 'whatever' the entire time

[@LordAugastus]

Adam savage just being a mentor and father figure to millions... AS should make a playlist for self help.... Better advice than mojority of pill pushers out there...

[@Vyviel]

I always get stuck in the research phase and never begin as I keep finding new or better ways to do things

[@catabaticanabatic3800]

Whenever you hear a person say "I'm a perfectionist", run a mile. There is no such thing as perfection. These people will chase after it at your expense. A job well done -good enough, is all that is needed. A job that satisfies and pleases the customer, not the misplaced ego of someone trying to achieve the impossible at your expense. As with every facet of life, some are better than others but none will ever be perfect.