The 90% Problem
Most projects start with a spark of inspiration. An idea forms, the excitement kicks in, and before you know it, you’re knee-deep in design files, components, and code. And for a while, everything moves fast. The first 90%? That’s the fun part. That’s when you see progress. When the pieces start coming together. When you can already picture the final product in your hands.
But then there’s that last 10%. And that’s where things get stuck.
I’ve been guilty of this more times than I can count. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 3D printer upgrade, a Raspberry Pi project, or designing a PCB—I hit a point where the exciting, forward-motion stops, and what’s left is the tedious part. The final optimizations, the troubleshooting, the “why isn’t this working” stage. The part where momentum turns into frustration, and the progress starts to plateau.
It’s not just me, either. I’ve talked to engineers—real professionals, people who get paid to design and build things—and they say the same thing. The last 10% of a project is what separates something that works from something that’s finished. And the difference between a hobbyist who dabbles and a professional who delivers is pushing through that last 10%, even when it feels like a chore.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, especially since I started getting more serious about designing my own PCBs. I’ve spent hours learning KiCad, reading books about circuit design, watching lectures from industry veterans—trying to absorb as much as I can. But even with all that, the hardest part isn’t learning. It’s finishing.
She never slows down. She’s always thinking ahead, always doing more, always making sure she’s setting herself up for whatever comes next. I’ve spent more time thinking about the future than she has, but she’s the one who’s actually moving toward it. I’ve got everything I need to be ahead—I just had to learn how to use it. And without even meaning to, she helped me figure that out.
Starting stuff is easy. But the last 10%? That’s where the real work is. That’s where things go from “almost” to “done.” That’s where you learn the most, even when it’s frustrating.
So I’m trying to be better about it. Instead of letting projects sit at 90%, I’m pushing through—even when the last stretch isn’t fun. Because in the end, the projects that actually get finished? Those are the ones that matter.