Writing Confidence at Work, Part 2: Perfectionism

You want to write the perfect feasibility study, procedure, policy, or status report. You think you have but wonder whether it will get the expected reception. Maybe some of those on your distribution list won't even read it. Others might react indifferently to it. Maybe the most important readers will be downright critical of it. You review the document one more time and see why you have had those thoughts. You can make so many improvements, starting with the forcefulness of that opening sentence all the way to that last uncommitted paragraph.

You look at the draft an hour later. Now you believe the style is much improved, but another thought surfaces, You believe you've sacrificed style for substance. You go back to your original outline to find that, in fact, you have not removed any detail, but the most essential content is now buried in the middle of overlong paragraphs. You decide to rearrange information to make the key points more prominent. But now the internal logic of the piece has run amok.

You get the point. Perfectionism. You've got to stop somewhere; you've got to press send sooner or later. You can be sure that no matter how well you write a work-related document, you will find ways to improve it as soon as it drops into your files. You are constantly learning, the business is continually changing, and the industry is revolutionizing. Perfectionism is pointless.

Aiming for perfect is a noble goal, so long as you don't let such a pursuit take over your better senses. If you keep focusing on not hitting your mark, on failure, you might as well give up. Just produce. It's just a bunch of words.