The Space Between “Done” and “Good”

The Space Between “Done” and “Good”

Deadlines save me and destroy me. Without them, nothing ships. With them, nothing feels ready.

I’ve started to notice that the best work happens when I accept that “done” and “good” aren’t the same point on the map, they just share a zip code. “Done” means I showed up. “Good” means I cared. Some days, one has to be enough.

When I revisit old writing, I can see where I over-polished the life out of it, sanding every edge until it gleamed but stopped breathing. Lately, I’m leaving some rough edges on purpose. Like pottery fingerprints left under the glaze, proof that a person was here (or sometimes, that they weren’t).

Maybe perfection isn’t the goal; continuity is. To keep making, even when the inner critic whispers, “Not yet.”