Prompt: Write about what you are willing to practice imperfectly.
All right, the prompt for today, June 26, 2026, is: Write about what you are willing to practice imperfectly.
I don’t know that there’s anything I am willing to practice imperfectly.
I mean, I’m trying to do that, especially with these pen rests and just exploring with the eco-resin, artificial sea glass, dowels, and all of these projects I’m working on. I’m trying to make something, let it exist in the world, put it out there, and not judge it myself.
I don’t know if that’s imperfect practice, however.
I think maybe my morning pages are my imperfect practice because they’re meant to be stream-of-consciousness writing. They’re really just for me, so it doesn’t matter what I write.
This is a difficult one because I don’t know that there’s anything that’s worth practicing imperfectly. I think that if we’re going to make a commitment to something, if we’re going to do something repeatedly, then there’s value in looking for improvement, making progress, and making things better.
I don’t know that perfection is ever attainable. I think there’s always room for improvement.
Especially in woodworking—or really any craft, whether it’s writing, music, or something else—there’s always another improvement that can be made. The better you get, I think the smaller those improvements become. But that’s also where mastery is developed. Are you able to notice those tiny, almost imperceptible improvements and make them?
I guess I’m thinking of Formula 1, where they’re fighting for a thousandth of a second. Millions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of people are working toward a gain of a hundredth or even a thousandth of a second. That’s peak performance. They are masters, and they’re still working toward improvement.
So I don’t know that imperfect practice is really a thing.
But maybe it is. Maybe it’s just something you do because you enjoy it and the outcome doesn’t really matter. It could be like eating ice cream, I suppose. You can enjoy it however you want.
Anyway, you can find this prompt, and many more, at Letters Lounge.
Of course, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this prompt or any of the others, so please leave a comment or a link to your blog, audio journal, or wherever you’re sharing your reflections. I’ll be sure to check it out.
I’ll talk to you tomorrow, folks.
This transcript was lightly cleaned up with the help of AI to improve readability while preserving the original voice and intent of the recording.
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