Prioritizing Action Over Perfection
“Anything worth doing is worth doing half-assed.”
– Jessie DaSilva
Hah hah…not quite!
But there are an awful lot of tasks that just need to get done…and often half-assed IS good enough.
Ahh…January. ’Tis the season of fresh starts, great intentions & grandiose plans…
99% of which are doomed to fail.
Kidding! But let’s face it, unless we bother to develop good habits that will take us where we want to go, day in and day out, willpower alone won’t get us very far.
Why?
Because we’re human. So let’s work with that.
Here’s a trick to try – perhaps in a few weeks from now, when the early January motivational rocket-fuel propelling Your Big Plans For The New Year starts to run low:
What to do when you don’t wanna…
“Rather than fighting it,” writes Jessie DaSilva in her uniquely potent book, The Witch’s Way to Wealth, “we become intentional with our time. Put your phone on airplane mode, set a timer for 25 minutes, and for the entire duration, try to get as much of the shitty task accomplished as possible. Perfection be damned!”
There is a time for meaningful Deep Work, where quality very much does matter…and there is a time for Shallow Work – when getting the damn task DONE is often more important than doing it particularly well, let alone perfect.
We all have crap tasks that have to get done…whether those tasks are necessary for running a household, getting our finances in order, or moving the needle forward on our dreams, when the urge to procrastinate arises – and it will – try making this a habit:
Put your phone on airplane mode, grab a timer, set it for 25 minutes…and get ’er done.
Or at least, get ’er started. Then repeat the habit again the next day…and again the next, if need be…until the damn thing is done and off your plate. You will be amazed at how much lighter you feel.
Getting out of our own way and learning how to handle procrastination is not rocket science. But the effects are rather magical. When we learn to prioritize action over perfection, it is astounding how much faster we can get to where we want to go.
Let me know how it goes 🙂
Happy New Year & all the very best in 2026!
Related blogs by Maryanne
Wing It – Why Action Beats Planning
Maryanne Pope is the author of “A Widow’s Awakening.” She also writes screenplays, playscripts & blogs. Maryanne is the CEO of Pink Gazelle Productions and Co-Founder of the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund. To receive her blog, “Weekly Words of Wisdom,” please subscribe here. And be sure to visit our PinkGazelleCards Etsy shop.