// don’t let perfection stall your progress

If you haven’t already, be sure to read this blog describing our Marketplace 3.0 PageBuilder, benefits of the new pages, and some of their features. I probably waxed a bit philosophical on the design magic our team threw into making them. In that post, I told ya, “hey Pal, go update those pages today.”

And you might’ve been thinking, “well gee Ben, when will I make the time to do that? It looks cool, but it looks like a lot.

Or, maybe you were thinking: I don’t feel like I have all the “right” images at my disposal.

Or perhaps: I should probably wait until I have an uber professional video to post, right?”

No. Hell no.

Don’t let yourself think that. Not any of those things. Bad Coach. You know better.

It’s natural to bias towards perfectionism in any creative endeavor. After all, a blank canvas is the most intimidating thing in the world. It’s the dark unknown. An endless possibility. And such possibilities can make it feel impossible to know where to start.

So let me make it simple for you.

Start at the top.

Start today.

Start right…now.

We kitted the template editor out with enough (not so) little hints to give you a well lit path to maximal conversion destiny. It’s all you need to put something out in the world that’ll move the needle.

Legendary author, creative, coach, and generally smart dude Steven Pressfield is noted for saying:

“The Principle of Priority states (a) you must know the difference between what is urgent and what is important, and (b) you must do what’s important first.”

As it relates to updating your Product Detail pages, I’m gonna let you in on a couple of secrets:

1. This is important – It will improve your conversions and help you make more sales with TrainHeroic online.
2. This is urgent – Those who complete their new pages first will rank higher in our Marketplace search results.

Double whammy.

I bet our boy Steven would agree that this looks like a pretty good P1.

So, ya, time is of the essence! 

Don’t wait. 

It doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, I’d recommend you not let perfection get in the way of progress. 

// a guide to getting mud on the table

If you’re still intimidated by that mountain of writer’s block covered in a shit-smattering of excuses sitting in front of you, let me help you out with a trick I’ve used for years to drown that little self-destructive, doubt-whispering, confidence-killing, inner monster like a first time Kook at Nazaré. 

set up your sales page in one hour

1. Perform 30s of movement to get your wiggles out (yes, I said wiggles and yes, we all have them. Some simple push ups or Russian twists are really all you need to get ‘em out)
2. Go to this link for an easy to use online timer. Set it for one hour.
3. Shut out all distractions (see: close all other browser windows, put your phone in the other room, etc.)
4. Open up your Marketplace 3.0 Editor.

5. Hit “Start” on the timer

6. Write, create, and Publish like your damn pants are on fire

7. Eat something nice at the end to reward yourself when you’re done

8. Take a walk or do something fun for 30 minutes

Here’s why that little shimmy works:

1. The first part gets your blood moving and releases extra energy. It also literally gets you out of your head and into your body so you can do the work. 
2. The second one is about establishing an effort that is short enough of a commitment that A) you can make the sacrifice relatively immediately, and B) you can give your maximum focus without passing out or losing your mind.
3. Deadlines work magic. They drive intense focus and suck the fat out of your efforts like the most aggressive Lipo in Hollywood 
4. The modern world is basically designed to rob our attention. It’s a minefield of ping ponging nonsense and nuisance. If you don’t control it, it’ll control you.
5. Hitting a tangible “Start” on something is exciting and gamifies the experience of work*
6. This is that flow stuff people talk about. It feels good to play when the stakes are high.
7. Knowing you get to eat something awesome is motivating (at least for apes like me). The feedback loop will make you want to do this again sometime soon. 
8. You probably just did something more useful and valuable in that hour than you’ll do in your next two days. Treat yo’self to a breeze around the neighborhood. 

*this is a shout out to my Mom who literally tried to turn all of our chores** (and we had a ton) into a game to make them less tedious. I found it annoying at times, but it turns out it actually works if you let it. Thanks Mom.

**my wife says I still suck at chores 

Need more proof?

This basic model shows up all over the high performance, creativity world. You get all the nonsense out of way and in a very short amount of time, try to get something “good enough” on the table that you can eventually shape into that perfect little snowflake you’ve always dreamed of.

In Leadership, growth master Brene Brown calls this lump of potential her SFD (Shitty First Draft)

In tech, Startup guru Eric Ries calls it the MVP (Minimum Viable Product)

I don’t care what you call it. I just care that you get it done. For your sake. For the world’s sake.

You don’t need to do anything nuts. You just have to get it out there. Champions are made over the long haul. They’re made in the editing, not the drafting. So never let your first one get in your way.

If you’re making pottery, you’ve gotta just throw some damn clay on the table. I assure you, once you do, you’ll enjoy improving it and it will only get better from here. 

But getting the clay on the table is the hardest thing, so reduce the anxiety by constraining the effort. Do it as fast as possible with as little judgement as necessary.

Get out of your comfort zone, get out of your own way, and just make the damn thing.

Novices think that creativity is knocking it out all at once. Masters know this whole thing is a game of repetition. Need proof? Here’s my buddy Wayne tellin’ you kids how it is.

So put on that whitebelt, Kaizen mindset and get after it, Champ. 

Start now, refine later

Then, over the next week, dig into the rest of our educational content, so you can polish and spitshine your product detail page until it’s gleaming like a high performance converting machine. 

Let’s get it.

And, cheers to you and your amazing, totally shitty, and absolutely necessary first draft. It’s beautiful, kind of 😉