Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Time Saving Tips - Part 3

#3 - Good enough is good enough

While working on a many handymen projects with my grandfather (Pop) in his basement as a child, I can often remember him saying as we neared the completion of the job, "Well, it's good enough for the girl I go with." Of course, he meant that grandma would be happy to have the project completed even if it wasn't perfect. Now, Pop was no shoddy worker, but he understood the principle of "Good Enough" - that things don't have to be perfect in order to be useful or effective.

I've heard many leaders in the church world say, "It doesn't have to be perfect in order for God to bless it." Often times, we waste so much energy, effort and precious time in the vain attempt to make things perfect. According to the law of diminishing returns, this endless pursuit of perfectionism actually works against us. Sure, you can put in an extra 20% of effort on a project that is already a "A-" but that extra 20% will not yield a significant return on the investment. Give up your perfectionist ways and you will get more done and ultimately be more effective.