Why I'm Building in Public
There’s a version of work that only happens in private — tidy, finished, presented at the right moment. And there’s building in public, which is messier and more honest.
I’ve been thinking about why sharing unfinished work feels uncomfortable, and whether that discomfort is worth pushing through.
The perfectionism trap
The problem with waiting until something is “ready” is that ready keeps moving. There’s always another edge case, another refactor, another thing to polish before it’s fit for human eyes.
Building in public forces a different relationship with quality. Not lower standards — different ones. The question shifts from is this perfect? to is this useful or interesting to someone right now?
What you gain
Feedback earlier. The most valuable feedback comes before you’ve committed to a direction, not after.
Accountability. Saying you’re working on something in public makes you more likely to actually finish it.
A record. Looking back at how something was built is often more interesting than the thing itself.
The downside
You will ship things that aren’t good. People will see half-finished ideas. Some things won’t work out and that’ll be visible.
I think that’s fine. Most people are too busy with their own work to care deeply about your incomplete projects.
So I’m going to try it. Writing here, sharing projects before they’re done, thinking out loud. We’ll see how it goes.