On Doing Things Right
Stick it to the man
Two pieces of media have recently been released that I think need to get more attention than they are. Namely “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”. Now, you may be thinking, “Hold up, all I hear about are ‘Tears of the Kingdom’ and ‘Across the Spider-Verse,’ they’re both highly rated and raved about by critics and audiences alike.” That’s very true, so I guess what I’m saying is both of these projects deserve to be looked at by everyone as a case study on why, even in a world that demands a constant stream of new, doing things right still matters.
It’s important to note that both of these projects are based on existing IP. Both are based on decades long fictional worlds, and both are sequels to groundbreaking entries into those worlds. Because of that, the stakes were certainly higher and the incentives different for these releases than for many others. However, neither of these projects were immune to the market incentives to release on time. And yet, perhaps the most striking similarity between both of these projects, and the impetus for this post, is that they were both pushed by about a year.
Delaying a project isn’t unheard of, but delaying a project at the final stages, just so you can perfect it, is. Many companies get locked into these arbitrary deadlines that they’ve set for themselves and get to “minimum viable product” rather than “the best we can do.” People do the same thing all the time. I want to lose weight by my wedding, but the day after my wedding I’m going to go crazy and eat everything in sight. I set a goal to read 30 books in one year, but as soon as I haven’t read enough by March to keep pace, I give up entirely. I promise my wife I’ll clean the bathroom, so I spray some Febreze in there and take a wipe to the pee stains that are clearly visible, but spend no time actually cleaning. So often we’re just trying to get things done or meet some arbitrary goal so we can get to the next thing, that we lose sight of what’s more important.
But What is Important?
Why do things right, when doing the minimum is so much easier?
There are basically two reasons to do things right: long term ease and your own legacy/reputation/relationships.
Long term ease - for most tasks and chores, it’s really easy to see why doing something right the first time is actually going to make life easier, but let’s take the example of Spider-Man. Why is pushing and grinding for a great movie going to make things easier in the long run? Well, for one, this movie made more in 12 days than the first one did total. And that’s in a post-covid, non-movie-going world. Second, imagine a writer going into an interview with the latest Dr. Strange on their resume vs. a writer going into an interview with the Spiderverse on their resume. Unless you have a moral reason to hate Spider-man, who you’re going to hire is a no-brainer. As with all things, doing things right the first time always makes things easier in the long run.
Legacy - perhaps more impactful/important than an easy life is the way others see us (and the way we see ourselves). Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse changed the trajectory of animated movies, that will be in the history books. Breath of the Wild probably brought in more new gamers than any single video game in the last ten years. (Don’t quote me on that, but I’d be surprised if it wasn’t at least close to true.) But the point is, legacies and reputations aren’t created by those who barely get things in under the deadline. What’s more, if you want to live a life with no regrets, do your absolute best. Happiness isn’t created by an easy life, it’s created by a meaningful one.
A Few Caveats
One
Even though this is a short post, I will caveat this: perfection is the enemy of the good. The saying is true and perfectionism leads many, including myself, not to act. So for the sake of clarity, the hierarchy that I’m suggesting is
Do/Act/Move/Create
Do things right
If you’re like me and struggling to do at all, then see suggestion number one, but if you’re producing, doing, acting, moving, see suggestion two.
Two
This is an aspirational post, a case study as I said in the beginning, I’m not anywhere near being able to say I practice this.
Three
This isn’t really a caveat, so much as a piece of advice, but start small and prioritize. Work might not be that important, but family is and personal passion projects are, so start trying your best in those areas first and then expand from there.
Whatever you do, take inspiration from Sony and Nintendo and buck internal deadlines, do things right, take your time, and give it your all. Results, rewards, and internal satisfaction will follow.
Hopefully. Don’t hold me to that. Just do your best. Results may vary, but you’ll be happier.