Step away from the micro and think about the macro

As a designer, developer, and an entrepreneur, I am a detail-oriented, perfectionist. I obsess over the details of every design, line of code, or product. It is almost like I have an itch that I have to itch and if I don’t then it just bothers me beyond belief. This “perfect” vision that I have in my head drives me to keep pushing until I can accomplish it. By staying up all night or not shipping a product till every feature is working, I work till the last minute. With all this said, I still manage to stay level headed and focused on putting the pieces together, but it can be challenging.

Over the past few days, I have been faced with this challenge. Next week, I have a big investor pitch presentation and I have been reviewing each slide and its content for “perfection.” Additionally, not only have I been reviewing the deck I have had an investor also review it with me. He sees things differently than I do (as expected) and therefore picks and prods at certain elements. This has been challenging because I have already picked it apart myself to the last degree, then to have him do it again is quite frustrating. As with many presentations, its good to have a second eye and in this case is self inflicted as I asked him to help, but it is making me go crazy.

Just now, I explained all this to my business partner. I shared how I was feeling, what the session today with the investor was like and how unprepared I now feel because of it. My partner then said, “Step away from the micro, think about the macro.” He explained how much I have going for me and the company, how he has seen me put thousands of hours into this company and how I have surrounded myself with the best and brightest people. His advice was to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

With a deep breath and a look from the clouds, I think he is right in his thinking and advice. As much as my personality and mind believe in the details, looking at the pitch and the company from the higher level is important. Sure, we don’t have all the details figured out, but we are on a path to working them out. I think this is a big lesson for me to continually remind myself of. Regardless of how many hours I spend working on something, when you look at it from the bigger picture you realize how it all fits together and works. For me, being a perfectionist is part of my nature, it is something I have always had. All I can do now is keep moving forward, but try to zoom out every once in a while and see things from above.