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Guidance for: I'm scared of doing it badly

Lower the bar on purpose

How much time do you actually have?

Start here

Write the worst possible version of the first sentence, line, or step. Deliberately bad. Nobody sees it.

Perfectionism and avoidance look identical from the outside — both produce nothing. If the standard is what's blocking you, the standard is the thing to change first.

Then, if you have room for it

  • Name it draft zero. Nobody sees draft zero. It exists only so draft one has something to edit.
  • Aim at a number. "200 bad words" is a target you can hit; "a good introduction" is a judgement you can fail.
  • If it's fear of judgment, write the actual worst case in one sentence. It's almost always smaller on paper.
  • Separate making from checking. Doing both at once is what stalls you.

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