Elegance is overrated: The importance of just getting it done

I start very project with an ideal picture I the most elegant solution: not a single extra bit used, perfectly formatted code, efficient use of styles, minified static files, etc… Inevitably, by the end of the project I’ve abandoned the bulk of that ideal solution so I can just “get it done.”

Does my client care about elegance in code? Not at all. They just want it to work, as fast as possible. Creating the most elegant solution always takes more time and in many cases, doesn’t gain much in scalability or maintenance. These concerns are things that are usually way down the road anyways, and you’re better off not worrying about them at first.

My point is that it’s a balancing act, and one that I’m still trying to get right. My impulse is to hone every line until its absolutely perfect, but I know that it really isn’t needed. I don’t want to be ridiculed by fellow developers, but going the extra mile to please them isn’t going to make me any more money or make the client any happier.

How do you handle this balancing act?