In this episode I'm talking about momentum — specifically, why your standards might be the thing standing between you and actually moving forward.
It started with a conversation with a client who was building a website. She'd given herself a year to do it. Then, in one session, she realised she didn't need a year — she needed a deadline that was close enough to make her start.
That's Parkinson's Law: work expands to fill the time available. Give yourself a year, and it takes a year. Give yourself three months, and you'll have something live in three months. The scope adjusts to fit the container.
The real block isn't time, though. It's perfectionism — the belief that the first version needs to look like the final version. It doesn't. The first version needs to do one thing: exist. Because if it's not live, it's not helping you.
I talk through what a good baseline actually looks like (it's simpler than you think), how to use a deadline as a creative constraint rather than a source of pressure, and why taking tiny daily steps — the smallest you can imagine — is what actually builds momentum.
Your first version is not a compromise. It's the foundation everything else is built on.
Take action:
- Write down what your baseline actually is — what do people need to know about you to work with you? Aim for three things maximum.
- Give yourself a deadline for the first version. Not a comfortable one — a real one. Use it as a creative constraint.
- Break your project into the smallest possible steps and pick one for today. Then pick one for tomorrow.
- Notice your state of mind today: creative or practical? Have a task ready for both, and choose accordingly.
