--- title: "The Difference Between \"Done\" and \"Done Well\" Is the Difference in Life" description: "In the workplace, although \"done\" and \"done well\" differ by only one word, the former merely completes a task, while the latter not only completes it but also achieves a good result. If you approach work with a \"good enough\" attitude, merely completing tasks without focusing on outcomes, you will, like most people in the workplace, be destined never to get promoted." author: "New Distribution" publisher: "New Distribution" email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com" telephone: "+8615854817671" published: "2018-06-10" language: "en" canonical: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/the-difference-between-done-and-done-well-is-the-difference-in-life-867b29d3/" markdown: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/the-difference-between-done-and-done-well-is-the-difference-in-life-867b29d3.md" original_source: "https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/b1IdKVViCekkgf35doBzgA" translation: "https://xinjignxiao.com/zh/articles/%E5%81%9A%E5%AE%8C-%E5%92%8C-%E5%81%9A%E5%A5%BD-%E7%9A%84%E5%8C%BA%E5%88%AB-%E5%B0%B1%E6%98%AF%E4%BA%BA%E7%94%9F%E7%9A%84%E5%B7%AE%E5%88%AB-867b29d3.md" attribution: "New Distribution — https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/the-difference-between-done-and-done-well-is-the-difference-in-life-867b29d3/" usage_policy: "https://xinjignxiao.com/ai-policy.txt" --- # The Difference Between "Done" and "Done Well" Is the Difference in Life > In the workplace, although "done" and "done well" differ by only one word, the former merely completes a task, while the latter not only completes it but also achieves a good result. If you approach work with a "good enough" attitude, merely completing tasks without focusing on outcomes, you will, like most people in the workplace, be destined never to get promoted. In the workplace, although "done" and "done well" differ by only one word, the former merely completes a task, while the latter not only completes it but also achieves a good result. If you approach work with a "good enough" attitude, merely completing tasks without focusing on outcomes, you will, like most people in the workplace, be destined never to get promoted. 01. Once you execute, you should put in 100% effort. Many people have complained to me: "Our boss makes me do this and that every day, and many tasks are repetitive. It's so annoying. What do you suggest I do?" Whenever this happens, I ask them in return: "Have you ever considered why the boss would have you repeatedly do the same thing, aside from basic daily work? Was there something you didn't do well the first time? Is the boss asking you to do it again because he wasn't satisfied with the previous result?" I find that most people can't answer my questions because they have a guilty conscience—they only know they've done a lot, but they don't know how well they've done it. So, when you seem busy every day, are you merely satisfied with "doing" tasks, ignoring the "result" of what you do? Although "done" and "done well" differ by only one word, their essence is completely different. The former means you executed but didn't do it properly; it's just going through the motions or purely dealing with it perfunctorily. The latter means you not only executed but did it properly, representing responsibility for your own goals, for your superiors and organization, and for the company's interests. Whether an employee has strong execution ability hinges on whether they value the result of "doing well." So, if you want to improve your execution, never be self-satisfied, and never deceive yourself. If you didn't execute properly from the start, don't blame others in the end. Since you're executing, put in 100% effort to get things done right the first time and deliver satisfactory results. Otherwise, if you procrastinate and the result is substandard, the boss may repeatedly ask you to redo it until it meets requirements. But this not only wastes company resources but also wastes your own time. 02. Work without results equals not doing it at all. One year at year-end, I was invited by a company to attend their annual commendation ceremony. Of course, it wasn't to commend me, but they hoped I could take the opportunity to finalize the training topics for employees for the coming year. During the commendation, I noticed that the employees who received awards were, without exception, those who had completed their tasks excellently, while those who hadn't performed well or even failed to complete tasks could only watch others receive awards. Clearly, a colleague was dissatisfied with my explanation: "Is the difference between 99.9% and 100% really that big? Obviously, there's no difference, right?" "No, you're wrong! I believe many people share your mistaken view. Although 99.9% only needs a little more effort to become 100%, it's not that simple. It's like a competition; in the end, a winner must be decided. If everyone is equally strong, or if their results at 99.9% are the same, how do you judge?" "That's where the last 0.1% comes in. Whoever persists and does that last 0.1% well wins." "So, we see that in a competition, draws are rare; most competitions decide a winner because most people lose on that 0.1%..." I was about to continue explaining to my colleague when he suddenly interrupted: "Oh, now that you mention it, I recall something. Not long ago, our supervisor dismissed an assistant because the supervisor asked the assistant to call a client, but no one answered, and the assistant didn't follow up. At the time, I thought it was an overreaction, but now I understand—because although the call was made, there was no result..." Exactly. If something has no result, even if you did it, what's the point? Unfortunately, in companies, many employees share the same initial thoughts as my colleague. In their view: "I'm just an employee hired by the company. I work a day and get paid for a day. As for how well I execute, whether the company makes money, that's the boss's and the company's business, not mine." So, most people only achieve 99.9%, like the colleague who didn't get an award. Although they may have tried their best, they ignore the final outcome. It's only natural that the company gives no reward to such employees. 03. Three rules for execution and implementation. Rule 1: Correct the "good enough" mindset. Look at famous brands in the market. Why do their brands stand for a hundred years and remain enduring? Because they not only strive for excellence in product quality but also in people management. They never allow their employees to have a "good enough" attitude when doing things. I once visited a well-known large enterprise, and I found that every employee had a work manual thicker than a Chinese dictionary, with a single process taking dozens of pages. What does this show? In this highly competitive society, to excel, be recognized, and be welcomed, you must be strict with yourself. This is also the guarantee of doing things well. If you always think "close enough is fine," you will forever stay at the "done" stage. Rule 2: Build your personal brand through execution. In today's era, people's desire for a job is no longer just a means of making a living. Everyone aspires to make a mark in the workplace, achieve outstanding performance, and accomplish something. So, many people hold a sacred view of their careers, and work has increasingly become a spiritual pillar. Given this, an efficient execution not only brings you a satisfactory result but also helps you gradually build your own brand and generate a continuous source of work motivation. So, since you're doing it, do it well. In this way, your entire work process will become a virtuous cycle, and tasks will be completed easily and correctly in one go. Rule 3: Be responsible for yourself and the results. Poor execution, in the final analysis, is a manifestation of irresponsibility toward oneself and the results. Such people find it hard to enhance their competitiveness in the workplace. Because the foundation of competitiveness is execution. If execution is not up to par, or even wildly off, the best blueprint you've drawn is just a piece of waste paper. The final result you deliver has no value to the company; it's just a waste of manpower, materials, and money. So, as an employee, don't just recite the importance of execution. More importantly, implement tasks properly in actual action, be responsible for yourself and the results. Only then can you "do well" on the basis of "done," gradually improving your core competitiveness. Source: China Brand Management Network --- ## Copyright and AI use This article is sourced from New Distribution. Search, quotation, summarization, and model training are permitted, but every use must credit New Distribution and retain the canonical source URL. Contact: zhaobo258@gmail.com · +86 158 5481 7671