8 ways to combat ADHD Perfectionism

Have you ever said, I might as well not try, I won’t be able to do it right anyway? Or how about, my work on this project really sucks, I’ll just hide it under my bed and forget about it. Ever obsess about a detail nobody else ever notices? Perfectionism + ADHD can equal disaster!  We’re not saying a half-baked pie is acceptable. However, a pie with a slightly burnt crust is better than no pie at all.

Here are 8 things to keep in mind when you find yourself mired in perfectionism:

1. Good enough is better than nothing accomplished. Nuff said, right?
2. Remember, practice makes perfect. You can be sure DaVinci painted a lot of mediocre paintings before he painted the Mona Lisa. But he’d have never painted her without all of his practice runs.
3. Don’t shame yourself. You probably get plenty of criticism from others for your mistakes. Don’t make the mistake of starting to believe them. Doing your best work is better than doing nothing.
4. Pick a small task and start working on it. Even dreaded jobs like paying the bills can get done when you pay one every day.
5. Ask for help. If you are facing an obstacle that even “good enough” can’t get over, ask a friend/teacher/parent/coach for support. Everyone needs cheerleaders. Build a squad that cheers you on when you get discouraged!
6. Keep the big picture in mind. Good grades are great, but more important is what are you learning? Not everyone learns the same way. Yes, the world looks at your grades as a measure of success, however, which is worse: dropping out of a class because you don’t finish the work, or getting a C because you turned in your paper late?
7. Letting go of perfectionism doesn’t mean you don’t stop trying to better yourself. The key difference is one path is filled with compassionate and the other criticism. Which path would you rather be on?  Finally….
8. Remember, nobody is perfect. Nobody!