"Done is better than perfect." — Anne Mollegen Smith

This quote probably sounds familiar. It was made by Anne Mollegen Smith, groundbreaking magazine editor and the first female editor-in-chief of Redbook, who delivered this line to her editorial staff in 1980. But beyond the attribution, this episode unpacks why four words have outlasted four decades of motivational content. Perfectionism isn't really about quality — it's about protection. It's the sophisticated human habit of never finishing so nothing can ever fail. We explore why done creates the feedback that perfect was trying to avoid, where the counterpoint actually holds, and what it costs when worthwhile work never leaves the desk. For anyone with something sitting in draft form right now — this one is for you.

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