Letting go of perfectionism is a challenge, but like all bad habits, it’s easier to drop if we replace it with something else.

An alternative to perfectionism is experimentalism—a posture of seeking truth through trial and error. The experimentalist expects lackluster results and even some outright failure, but they also improve over time because they’re analyzing their results. The perfectionist expects consistently stunning results and is usually disappointed.

Perfectionism says, “This has to work.” Experimentalism says, “Let’s see if this works.”