on petty perfectionism (actually trying part 4)
It’s easy to confuse a certain petty perfectionism with Actually Trying. This is one of the ways we can expend a lot of effort and look at a subsequent failure and say, “hey, I gave it my best.” If you’re approaching this thing like it really matters, like it has grandma-in-the-cave stakes, you target that exertion, your best effort, at the thing you think is likeliest to unlock the next level of output or performance. You look for the domino that can tip the rest of the dominoes. You don’t go to the gym and try to walk even faster circles around the weight bench. You go and lay down on the bench and move the bar.
Some examples that aren’t metaphorical or athletic:
Petty perfectionism: We make a sexy, graphic designed pitch deck with VC-friendly buzzwords.
Pushing a domino: We make a product so good that people rave to their friends about it.
Petty perfectionism: We polish and buff and refine this middle paragraph of the cover letter that’s going to be skimmed, at best, by the hiring team on the other side.
Pushing a domino (actually trying): We accomplish something relevant and impressive in this sector and put it at the top of the resume and cover letter in bold.
Petty perfectionism: We load up a recommendation memo to the CEO with data-rich footnotes and appendices without adjusting the core argument in it.
Pushing a domino (actually trying): We talk to a leader who has successfully persuaded this CEO before and ask what this CEO finds most persuasive. (It might not be a memo at all).
I’m not saying you shouldn’t do the petty perfectionist stuff. (Don’t send cover letters with typos, even if you don’t think people are going to read it.) But don’t do it first and don’t let the minutes or hours you spend on it convince you that you’ve done all you can.
-eric
