Consistency beats perfection every time
Written mid-flight while hunched over my tray table
Hello Substack! I am currently writing this post on a plane to Barcelona, where I am jetting off on a long-anticipated trip with one of my good friends. By the time you’re reading this, I am hopefully munching on tapas at a charming restaurant during my first night in the city.
I did not intend to publish a letter from the sky for this week’s newsletter, but the past couple of weeks have been the classic case of when it rains it pours—a phenomenon that seems to always happen right before vacation. I have challenged myself to write, edit, and schedule this post during the confines of my 12 hour flight.
This is definitely out of my comfort zone. I prefer a longer writing process where I have plenty of time to word-vomit on a page and then refine over a week or so. (I’m also now curious about fellow Substackers’ writing habits. Does anyone regularly post on the fly?1)
All to say, thank you for bearing with me during this break from our normal programming. In the name of fluff and filler,2 I’ll share a quick but topical lesson that we can apply to our creative projects.
The C Word
Although unplanned, this break from my recent series is a good opportunity to discuss one of the core elements of any successful creative project: consistency.
Right now, in the name of consistency, I am doing everything in my power to get this newsletter out the door. It might not be my finest work, but it will be delivered on time. If there’s anything I’ve learned from growing my Twitch stream, it's that showing up—again and again—matters more than perfection.
Creative projects need consistency to thrive. Consistency is practice. It’s commitment. It’s the courage to regularly show up even when we don’t want to.
For Twitch creators, it’s impossible to build a reliable following without having a consistent schedule. The same applies to any personal project, especially when our work is shared publicly. Delivering on what we promise builds credibility, which is key to growth.
The toxic perfectionist part of me hates this truth. I strive to always present my best work, and the idea of putting out anything less than perfect makes me shiver to my core. But as I’ve learned through streaming, perfection and consistency rarely go hand-in-hand. I can’t always perform my best or write my best. Today’s newsletter is the perfect example of this–I simply do not have the luxury of time to refine this post until it’s perfect. Good must be good enough.
My message from the sky is this: If you really do believe in what you’re working on, you owe it to yourself to show up and stay consistent, even when it’s hard or imperfect. After a month, two months, or a year of staying consistent, you’ll look back amazed at how much you were able to accomplish.
See you next time
Thanks so much for reading and see you in two weeks (and sorry this post isn’t perfect!!!).
-Ari
Pun intended
For some reason, The Avatar the Last Airbender episode “The Great Divide” immediately comes to mind.
Yes, I agree! We just have to keep writing. Great read!
I almost always write on the fly and I sometimes wish I had a longer, more thought out process. I think I write better under pressure (and there's no pressure like a sleeping baby) so most of my articles are written and published in about an hour. I definitely take longer with some, especially my more personal posts which should be quicker because they require no research or fact checking, but what can I say, I'm a little shy!