Comments on: Productivity Tip #06: Define What ‘Done’ Actually Means

By: James

James — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:06:30 +0000

Thanks for the comment. I don’t know if it’s something I’ve developed or not, but I usually get to a point when I write a blog where I just can’t think of anything else to do to it. That’s when I publish. Of course, several days later I usually come up with a whole bunch of new ideas. However I realize if I always went back to edit posts I’d never get anything else done!

By: Joel Falconer

Joel Falconer — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 05:51:48 +0000

In audio production we have a saying, “When the mix feels good, it’s done”. That’s when you like the sound and can’t find anything wrong with what you’re hearing.

I apply a similar principle when writing – the work is done when it feels good to me. This prevents me from stopping just because I’m bored or want to procrastinate, and forces me to get it to an acceptable level without obsessing like a perfectionist.

By: Shanel Yang

Shanel Yang — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 23:12:52 +0000

Great topic! “Done” to procrastinators usually means when you run out of time. But, once you’ve successfully stopped procrastinating, deciding when to stop working on a project and say it’s good enough so you can start on another project is a critical skill for success. Perfectionism is not a good thing when it makes us obsess over details that don’t make that much difference to the big picture and desired end result.

All we have is our best judgment about these things, but it helps to develop and hone this ability by comparing with others, and getting positive feedback. For example, how to know when a blog post is polished enough for publication? You can ask a trusted friend to help you decide for the first few ones until you get a good feel for it. Or you can peruse the posts of other bloggers that you like and strive for similar completeness.

Of course, everything is relative. Depending on the particular circumstances, I would probably spend much more time and effort on a piece for hard copy publication than for a blog post because blog posts can always be edited.

Thanks for the thought provoking post!