Conflicting priorities: the bane of excellence or savior of "good enough"?

Since I lack the funding to just dive in and work my new business to the exclusion of everything else that brings in money, I find I have to slip my business efforts in when I can. As a result, the business is progressing slowly and, truth be told, the quality is not what it could be. I find myself settling for what I can get done in the time slot available rather than taking the time to get everything just right.

This may not be a bad thing. I am a bit of a perfectionist, and if I thought I had the time to get things perfect I may slip into paralysis by analysis and get even less done. The thought that there is one right solution tends to make me want to find it, even though there really is no way of knowing if I do.

I'm finding that I have a better chance of getting things right, however, if I take the time to create a plan. It's easier to know where I left off on something and where I was heading with it if I have something written down I can refer back to. Of course planning takes time, too, and the temptation is always there to skip planning and "actually get something done".

That's where discipline comes in. That's also where I have room for improvement. My goal for today is to take some time this afternoon before I knock off work for the week to plan where I'm going with my business (and everything else I've got going on) and break out some short-term objectives to pursue next week. That way when I come in on Monday morning I'll be able to pick up where I left off, knowing exactly where I'm headed.