If we expect the first draft to be perfect, we’re setting ourselves up to be disappointed.
Most people know that the first draft is going to be rubbish, but due to deadlines, procrastination, or an unwillingness to sit with the problem for a long period of time, they ship their first version.
They’re easy excuses to lean on. It’s rare to find people with the patience or incentive to sit with and challenge our early work.
That’s why it’s important to self-impose expectations around our first draft. To first finish, and then allow space and time for the ideas to soak, for the seeds to germinate, and for the cream to rise to the top.