I’ve always wanted to make and share more over the years. More art, more writing, more software, more… everything. I’ve often struggled to do so, at least in part because I’m a perfectionist (or… something), and there’s nothing forcing me to ship.
I’ve been writing morning pages for a while now, and I realized that I have no problem doing that every day. Of course, no one else gets to see those, but that’s not typically what I’m worried about. When I say I’m a perfectionist, it’s my own bar I need to hit.
The thing that makes it easy for me, I think, is simply that I do it every single day—no excuses. I don’t write because I have something to say, I write because it’s tomorrow. It doesn’t matter if I write total garbage or if I write something near-perfect. I’ll be back tomorrow.
That thought reminded me of something that Seth Godin once said:
I made a decision, one time, to write every day, and so I don’t have to revisit that decision. I don’t post a blog post because I feel like it, and I don’t post a blog post because it’s perfect—I post a blog post because it’s tomorrow… and that idea helps the work move forward.
So a few weeks back, I decided I’d do the same, and I stuck a Post-it note on my computer display to remind me. Most of the things I post are half-thoughts. They’re not written particularly well. Most of the time, they’re not even related in any meaningful way.
The quality that they do share, though? They exist.
It’s so easy to find an excuse not to make something, and especially easy to find an excuse not to share it. You’re tired. It’s not good enough. It’s not relevant. Someone has made something just like it.
It’s difficult to share things when that’s the bar.
For me, though, the act of committing to making and sharing something every day regardless makes it all feel lighter. All of a sudden, my goal isn’t to share something great, or novel, or unique. It’s just to make something—anything—and put it out there.