💡✍️ADN #132: The Last 10%

You’re 90% done with your song, your album, your project.

It’s listenable. It’s good. It works.

But deep down, you know it’s not done done.

And that last 10%?
That’s where greatness lives.
But damn if it isn’t the hardest part.

The finish line is in sight, and your brain starts whispering:

“Close enough.”
“People won’t notice.”
“It’s probably fine.”                                                                                                                                            "Is it good enough?"

The reality is:
Most people do stop at 90%.
Which is exactly why you shouldn’t.

The Difference Between “Done” and Done Right

Let’s call it what it is:
The last 10% isn’t about adding more.
It’s about subtracting, refining, reshaping, and making it undeniable.

Here are 7 tips to help you squeeze the last 10% out of whatever you’re making:

1. Walk Away So You Can Come Back
Burnout clouds judgment.
Give yourself 24–72 hours away from the thing.
Then return and listen like it’s not yours.
What makes you cringe? What makes you proud? What’s forgettable?

The distance is a diagnostic tool.

2. Zoom Out (Then In)
Play it once from top to bottom. No stops.
Then ask:

• Does the energy dip anywhere?
• Did I get bored?
• Did I stop believing myself?

Now go zoom in on the sections that broke the flow.

3. Swap the Medium
If it’s a song, export it and listen in your car.
If it’s a doc, print it out and mark it up.
If it’s a visual, test it on a phone.

Changing the medium resets your perspective.
New flaws reveal themselves in new formats.

4. Ask a Savage, Not a Supporter
Get feedback from someone who’s not afraid to hurt your feelings.
Better a bruise now than a regret later.
The person who will tell you, “This part loses me,” is gold.

Just don’t ask too many people. One or two is plenty.

5. Finish the Packaging
Sometimes the creative isn’t “done” because the context isn’t clear.
Design the cover. Write the caption. Mock up the campaign.
The story you tell around the work can help you see what the work is missing.

Presentation reveals gaps.

6. Kill Your Darlings (And Their Cousins)
Ask:

• What’s here just because I like it?
• What serves me but not the project?

That clever line, that extra bridge, that weird sound you “tried…”
If it doesn’t move the mission forward, cut it.
Ruthlessness is love in the final 10%.

7. Set a Hard Deadline (Then Cheat It Once)
Put a real deadline on the calendar.
But give yourself one “cheat day,” a 24-hour extension to make the final changes after you think you’re done.

This forces momentum and precision.

Final Thought

There’s a quote I love:

“The last 10% tells the story of the 90%.”

You don’t need to burn out to cross the finish line.
You just need to care enough not to tap out early.

That last 10% — that’s what separates artists from amateurs.
That’s what makes your work unforgettable.

Good is easy to ignore.
Great is impossible to forget.

Let’s Go Deeper
What’s the last 10% look like for you right now?
Reply and tell me where you’re stuck.
Let’s work it out together.

See you next Sunday,
Neil