“The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection.” — George Orwell
Perfect is subjective.
Perfect for who?
Perfect for what?
Perfect is an excuse to wait.
Perfect doesn’t exist.
Perfect is the enemy.
Forget perfect.
Now, on to this week’s ideas…
1. Prince, Steve Jobs, and Picasso Were Not Perfectionists
“They were passionate, demanding, and obsessed with quality, but also recognized the power of intuition and failure. Each, in their own way, valued imperfection as much as they pursued its opposite.”
You don’t have to be a perfectionist to make great things and the idea that iconic creators are also perfectionists is actually a myth.
In this post I point out Prince, Steve Jobs, and Picasso were not perfectionists and share stories from their work that demonstrate the degree to which they valued intuition and failure.
Related: Five reasons to embrace your imperfections.
2. Tracking Your Excuses Will Help You Get More Done
“Tracking my excuses helped me see that there are no perfect days for being creative. The ideal conditions for completing any long-term project simply do not exist.”
This is such a simple idea and yet it could be life-changing if you struggle to get things done.
Leigh Stein explains how tracking your excuses will help you get more done and breaks down a tactic she used to write a novel that can be applied to any project.
She set up a spreadsheet titled “You Can Write A Novel” and for each day documented the number of words she wrote or the reason she didn’t write. Tracking her excuses changed everything.
Related: How to tell the 11 excuses that hold you back to f- off.
3. How To Build A Network Of Content
“Publishing consistently just for the sake of showing up, without a logical thread guiding your work, will result in a confusing group of disparate readers.”
It’s one thing to publish a good blog post or create a piece of valuable content for your audience, but it’s another to have a strategy that connects your work and serves your audience in a deeper way.
Mauro Sacramento breaks down how to build a network of content including how to create actionable content and become a wikipedia for your niche.
Related: The two secrets to creating content people love.
4. Create Unique Rules To Create A Unique Culture
“Powerful cultures are built around what he calls ‘shocking rules’ — rituals and practices that are memorable, so ‘bizarre,’ that people inside the organization ‘encounter almost daily’ and that people who hear about them wonder why they are necessary.”
Rules are powerful and the ones you set for your company, team, or work influence a lot more than you may realize.
Bill Taylor explains how creating unique rules can create a unique culture and shares examples of how Amazon, former NFL coach Tom Coughlin, and the makers of the board game Cranium use unique rules to drive their success.
Related: 20 reasons why you should break the rules.
5. Lessons Learned From Writing 100 Articles In 100 Days
“I can attribute a dozen consulting contracts and many coaching sessions to people randomly finding me through one of the articles. Companies have contacted me to do workshops and to license the content, which I’m currently exploring.”
I’m a believe in the power of consistently sharing ideas with the world and so is Anne-Laure Le Cunff.
In this post she shares her lessons learned from writing 100 articles in 100 days including what happens when you write consistently, how she did it, and what it’s done for her professionally and personally.
Related: Only do it if you’re willing to do it 100 times.
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Some of this week’s ideas came from Greg Roth and DO Lectures
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