The Simple Dev Practice That Cured My Perfectionism
It's not about finishing. It's about committing.
The anxiety of starting a new project can be paralyzing.
It feels like every move you make has to be perfect. You have to start off right. I used to waste hours staring at a blank document, trying to write the perfect first sentence.
Every word felt too permanent, too important.
I was so afraid of getting it wrong that I couldn't even start.
The Bug
This is perfectionism in its purest form.
It's the belief that your first attempt has to be your final, polished version, but that’s a recipe for never shipping anything. The bug is the fear that your work isn't good enough to begin with.
The Fix
I realized I was ignoring one of the most powerful habits I have as a developer: the commit.
When I'm coding, I don't try to write a perfect feature in one go. I write a few lines, and I commit them. This means I save my progress. It's not done, it's not polished, but it's saved.
It’s like playing Resident Evil. Danger is out there, but there’s always a safe room to come back from.
This mindset is a superpower for any solo builder. The goal isn't to create a masterpiece today. It's to create a checkpoint.
You're just saving your progress so you have something to continue on after Mr. X sneaks up on you.
Your Next Step
Your messy first draft of a blog post? That's a commit. Your rough sketch of a landing page? That's a commit. The goal isn't to create a masterpiece today.
You’re creating checkpoints on the way.
What's one small, imperfect commit you can make on your project today?
Join the Other Builders
Every Saturday, I share a short, punchy mindset upgrade like this one, powered by developer thinking, to help you build your business:
Share your knowledge. Earn more. Build freedom, solo.