---
title: "The Difference Between \"Done\" and \"Done Well\": Not Just Performance, But a Difference in Life!"
description: "Many people have complained to me: \"Our boss asks me to do this and that every day, and many tasks are repetitive. It's so annoying. What should I do?\" Whenever this happens, I ask them: \"Have you ever thought about why the boss would have you repeat the same task, besides the basic daily work? Did you not do something well the first time? Is it because the boss was not satisfied with the previous result, so he wants you to do it again?\" I find that most people cannot answer my questions because they feel guilty—they only know they have done a lot, but they don't know how well they have done it."
author: "New Distribution"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2016-09-01"
language: "en"
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markdown: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/the-difference-between-done-and-done-well-not-just-performance-but-a-dif-46955f18.md"
original_source: "https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/xuzDlQAQcS6KPYgUU0uV1w"
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-%E4%B8%8D%E4%BB%85%E4%BB%85%E6%98%AF%E4%B8%9A%E7%BB%A9-%E6%9B%B4%E6%98%AF%E4%BA%BA%E7%94%9F%E7%9A%84%E5%B7%AE%E5%88%AB-46955f18.md"
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---

# The Difference Between "Done" and "Done Well": Not Just Performance, But a Difference in Life!

> Many people have complained to me: "Our boss asks me to do this and that every day, and many tasks are repetitive. It's so annoying. What should I do?" Whenever this happens, I ask them: "Have you ever thought about why the boss would have you repeat the same task, besides the basic daily work? Did you not do something well the first time? Is it because the boss was not satisfied with the previous result, so he wants you to do it again?" I find that most people cannot answer my questions because they feel guilty—they only know they have done a lot, but they don't know how well they have done it.

Many people have complained to me: "Our boss asks me to do this and that every day, and many tasks are repetitive. It's so annoying. What should I do?"
Whenever this happens, I ask them: "Have you ever thought about why the boss would have you repeat the same task, besides the basic daily work? Did you not do something well the first time? Is it because the boss was not satisfied with the previous result, so he wants you to do it again?" I find that most people cannot answer my questions because they feel guilty—they only know they have done a lot, but they don't know how well they have done it.
So, when you are busy every day, when executing tasks at work, do you only satisfy yourself with "doing" but ignore 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 did not achieve the standard; it's just going through the motions or purely dealing with it perfunctorily. The latter means you not only executed but also achieved the standard; it represents being responsible for your own goals, responsible to your superiors and the organization, and responsible for the company's interests.
Whether an employee has high execution ability depends on whether they value the result of "doing well." So, if you want to improve execution, never be self-satisfied, and never deceive yourself. If you didn't execute well from the start, don't blame others in the end.
Since you are executing, you must put in 100% effort to do the task and deliver a satisfactory result in one go. Otherwise, if you delay and the result is not up to standard, the boss may repeatedly ask you to redo it until it meets the requirements. But this not only wastes the company's resources but also wastes your own time.
One year at the end of the year, I was invited by a company to attend their year-end commendation conference. Of course, it wasn't to commend me, but they hoped I would take the opportunity to confirm the training topics for employees in the coming year.
During the commendation, I noticed that the employees who received awards were, without exception, those who had completed their tasks excellently. Those in the audience who had not completed their tasks excellently or even failed to complete them could only watch others receive awards.
Obviously, some people were very dissatisfied with my explanation: "Is the difference between 99.9% and 100% really that big? It seems there's no difference at all!"
"No, you're wrong!" I believe many people hold this erroneous view like you. Although 99.9% only needs a little more effort to become 100%, it's not the same. This is like a competition; in the end, a winner must be decided. If everyone is equally strong, or if their scores are the same at 99.9%, how do you judge? You have to look at the last 0.1%. Whoever persists and does the last 0.1% well wins.
So, we see that in a competition, draws are rare; most competitions decide a winner because most people lose by that 0.1%..." I was about to continue explaining to the client, but he suddenly interrupted me: "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. Although he made the call, there was no result..."
Exactly. A task without a result—you did it, but what's the point? Unfortunately, in companies, there are many employees who share the same initial thoughts as my friend. In their view: I am just an employee hired by the company. I work here for a day and get a day's salary. 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 friend who didn't get the award. Although they may have tried their best, they put the final result out of their minds. It's only natural that the company doesn't give such employees any rewards. So, how should we execute in one go, doing the task "well" the first time instead of just "doing" it?
**Execution Ground Rules**
**Rule 1: Correct the "almost" mentality. Be strict with yourself when executing any task.**
Look at the 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 an "almost" mentality 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. A single process had dozens of pages. What does this show? In this 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" step.
**Rule 2: Build your own brand in execution. Since you do it, do it well.**
In today's era, people's desire for a job is no longer just a tool for making a living. Everyone aspires to make a mark in the workplace, achieve outstanding performance, and accomplish something. So, many people regard their careers as sacred, and work has become a spiritual pillar. In that case, an efficient execution can not only bring you a satisfactory result but also gradually build your own brand and generate a continuous source of work motivation. So, since you do it, do it well. In this way, your entire work process will become a virtuous cycle, and tasks will be completed easily in one go.
**Rule 3: Be responsible for yourself and the results, and improve your core competitiveness.**
Poor execution is ultimately a manifestation of irresponsibility towards oneself and the results. Such people find it hard to improve their competitiveness in the workplace. Because the foundation of competitiveness is execution. If execution is not up to standard, or even off by a thousand miles, the blueprint you drew before 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. You must actually execute tasks to the standard in practice, be responsible for yourself and the results. Only then can you "do well" on the basis of "doing," and gradually improve your core competitiveness.
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