Progress not perfection
Life is a numbers game.
There’s this experiment from Atomic Habits that hits harder the more you think about it:
A photography teacher splits a class into two groups.
Group A is graded on quantity. Just take 100 photos.
Group B is graded on quality. Submit one perfect shot. That’s it.
Guess which group made the best photos?
The quantity group.
Why? Because they had more reps.
While Group B debated what “perfect” even meant, Group A got to work. They experimented with lighting, angles, timing, technique.
They made mistakes. But they also made progress.
And by the end, their photos were not only done—they were better than anything the “quality” group managed to produce.
The same rules apply to everything:
Startups
Content
Music
Art
Products
Writing
Even algorithms.
You don’t beat the game by guessing what will go viral.
You beat the game by doing more than everyone else.
Everyone’s playing the same game
The difference is most people are afraid to look stupid.
They wait. They tweak. They chase the "perfect" moment.
But the world doesn’t reward polish. It rewards momentum.
The more shots you take, the more signals you send.
The more you post, the more data the algorithm has.
And the more visible you become—because people (and platforms) love consistency.
And the more you do, the better your next one becomes—your failures becomes critical data to perfect your next shot.
Think about it:
The best YouTubers? Didn’t go viral on video #1.
Top indie hackers? Didn’t ship one perfect SaaS—they shipped 6, killed 5, and doubled down on the 6th.
Creators who “beat” TikTok or Instagram? They’re posting 10x more than you. That’s not magic—it’s math.
Consistency builds leverage. Repetition compounds.
School was wrong and will always be
School taught us to fear failure.
One exam = your future.
One bad grade = you're "not good at math."
One mistake = you're behind.
But in the real world?
Reps win. Not perfection.
You don’t need one perfect idea—you need 100 bad ones that teach you what works.
We were taught to fear mistakes.
To wait until it’s perfect. To hold back until we’re sure.
But in real life?
Mistakes are data.
You win by testing. By publishing. By trying again.
Every misstep makes the next step stronger.
The system was built to reward the few.
But the internet rewards the relentless.
Dollar-cost average
Investors use a strategy called Dollar-Cost Averaging:
Buy regularly. No matter the market.
Sometimes you buy high. Sometimes low.
But over time, you lower your average cost and reduce risk.
Content works the same way.
Don’t wait for the perfect time.
Start weekly. Share daily. Build monthly.
Some of it will flop. A few things will spike.
But the average of your effort is what compounds.
The algorithm wants patterns not perfection
The platforms don't care if your post is genius.
They care if you show up consistently.
Same with audiences. Same with startup ideas.
You don’t need to be a genius. You need to be a volume player.
Progress > Perfection
Your work will suck before it gets good.
Your writing will feel awkward. Your ideas won’t land. Your design won’t pop.
But the only way out is through.
Perfectionism is just procrastination in a costume.
And shipping more is the only reliable hack.
This week:
Don’t draft one perfect post.
Write five quick ones. Publish three.
Don’t sketch one ideal startup.
Launch a mini MVP in 48 hours.
Don’t spend a month tweaking a pitch deck.
Talk to 10 customers this week instead.
Want to win? Play more rounds and
Want to stand out? Out-publish. Out-ship. Out-repeat.
School rewarded silence, precision, and waiting.
But the game now rewards motion, momentum, and noise.
So move.
Because repetition is the new perfection.
And life? Still a numbers game.
There’s a famous Italian saying,
"Meglio fare che perfetto."
Translation: "Better done than perfect."
Another close one is:
"Il meglio è nemico del bene."
Translation: "Perfect is the enemy of good."
Perfect is the enemy of good.
So stop chasing the flawless.
Just keep showing up.
Cheers,
Jay