I’ve been working on a project for a few weeks. My vision was to use the most advanced tech to make it a success. I wrote down what I was trying to accomplish and began researching. Ideas for solutions came from others along the way. But my vision slowly deflated. To my surprise, my dream technology doesn’t exist. When I talked to people who live the problems I was working on, I learned they’re using manual workarounds or legacy tech. The more I dug, the more frustrated I felt.

I was forced to accept that the perfect solution I envisioned isn’t possible. So, taking a step back, I reviewed my goals for this project. This reset my perspective. I was reminded that I was looking for the solution that best checks certain boxes—it doesn’t have to be perfect. In the end, a legacy technology was the best option. It’s not slick (in fact, it’s clunky) or cutting edge. But it efficiently does what I need done. I embraced it and wrapped up that part of the project.

I was reminded of a common start-up mantra: done is better than perfect. Sometimes the best solution isn’t glamorous. It just works.