What do habits, Minimum Viable Products and first drafts have in common?
They are the first iteration of a concept that will likely go through many changes.

When working on a project you are strongly attached to, there is a grandiose desire to have it be perfect when you launch. We become so attached to the concept our egos get in the way.

Too often, we imagine the final project being a large, compelling, complex and beautiful concept that stuns people at first glance. The same goes for habits and personal development. Human history and data will tell you that this is rarely the case.

Logically speaking, our first attempts at something are rarely perfect. How often is the first person you meet your partner for life? What about your first job?

Your first career and job is rarely the final path you pursue and stay on. Iterations and adjustments are eventually made along the way as you learn more information.

Startups, following the Lean Startup Method, learn this by starting small and moving fast. They build MVPs, or minimum viable products, the smallest lego block representing a sliver of the final idea.

They learn to ship the smallest scope of a project and iterate from there.

By starting small, you become future focused on ways to improve and iterate. Creating in this way reduces the desire for perfection and your mind invests instead on making improvements.

By reducing the stress of having a perfect outcome, starting small allows you to maintain a playful mindset and welcomes mistakes.

And by making the first mistake fast, you can move on from the emotional attachment and work on making it better.

The same can be said for our writing.