Whether we’re writing a book proposal, putting together a presentation for clients, building a ship, or doing anything else, tinkering can improve things significantly—at first. But there comes a point where the law of diminishing returns sets in—a point where our efforts begin to outpace our improvements. I define “done” as the point just before the effort invested begins to be greater than the output achieved. To avoid diminishing returns on your time and effort, establish clear conditions for what “done” looks like, get there, then stop.
