Perfectionism. It’s one of the most devious words out there. It encapsulates negative traits, like insecurity in the most positive shell: perfection. What can be wrong with being perfect? It’s everything, because nothing can or should ever be perfect. Even the laws of physics break down under certain conditions. That’s why we are still looking for that theory of everything; one beautiful unified theory to express our world from the tiniest to the most unfathomably large scales.
The retort to perfectionism is something actually good: remarkably high standards. It’s striving for exceptional results. So, what separates perfectionism from high standards? High standards are well defined, meaning there is an end you can see, and once you reach it, you can say, “It’s good enough to be put out there”. Even with the most well polished products, there comes a point where the accountable person says, “It’s good to go”.
So what makes high standards? Well, as you might have guessed, this is the hard part. It’s not just extensive unit testing, code coverage, relentlessly strict formatting, or following best practices with UI components and design systems. First, it’s about taking the time to think, every time you are about to work on something new, what would make this an exceptional product? Then, it’s about sticking to those priorities relentlessly and actually delivering when you are done.
Eventually, it’s all about sincerely caring about what you build and for whom. It’s about setting the bar high, looking at it, reaching for it and the moment you exceed it, delivering.
