Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Perfectionism: A Practical Guide to Managing "Never Good Enough"

Rate this book
This is a new copy of " A Practical Guide for Managing "Never Good Enough" by Lisa Van Gemert. The copy is signed by the author.

186 pages, Paperback

Published May 26, 2017

93 people are currently reading
204 people want to read

About the author

Lisa Van Gemert

5 books46 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
40 (31%)
4 stars
61 (48%)
3 stars
20 (15%)
2 stars
3 (2%)
1 star
3 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Profile Image for Lauren Campbell.
232 reviews2 followers
August 7, 2023
As the title would suggest, this book’s best feature is the practicality, allowing it to be a resource not just for educators, but for families and even students themselves. Van Gemert is an engaging writer and provides vivid antidotes that will speak to any reader with their own issues in perfectionism. The length is also perfect, providing the most important and impactful information in a concise format. And (perhaps due to her own perfectionism) Van Gemert ensures readers fully comprehend the content by offering end-of-chapter key idea lists as well as action steps. I love the action steps because they provided me with very real, applicable things to do to immediately apply the new information and some lists also referenced resources for further reading or interventions, making this a compendium of excellent strategies to battle perfectionism.
Profile Image for Elaine.
23 reviews1 follower
July 26, 2025
I read this as part of professional development as an educator. The author provided good insights into perfectionist tendencies, particularly in gifted children, and I was able to identify where I have seen some of these characteristics in my own students or even myself. The book’s primary target audience is parents of gifted children. I felt that educators are the secondary audience since much of the strategies provided are more for implementation in the home. Some of the strategies provided for educators are practical, while others will require systemic changes that are beyond the average educator’s control.

The book was self-published and needed quite a bit more editing.
Profile Image for Stacy Wolfe.
787 reviews4 followers
April 21, 2021
If you have a kiddo in your life, especially a gifted one, who is a perfectionist, you need to read this book. It validates all of the trials and tribulations gifted parents feel about kids who struggle with perfectionism and gives actionable steps to help them, and yourself. I’m super interested in this topic , because also as a teacher, I see this in my classroom. Perfectionism is one of those things that can fly under the radar for a while and then when it fears its head, it could be troublesome. I’d prefer to have the knowledge I need to say the necessary things when they need to be said.
Profile Image for Ritu.
Author 1 book8 followers
December 25, 2020
Wonderful book!

As an adult, I picked this up on a whim because I struggle with perfectionism (it's geared towards parents of sensitive, gifted children) I LOVED it. This is such a great book written by an educator who obviously knows she is talking about. It is both insightful and practical, which you can't say for all nonfiction books. If you are someone who struggles with perfectionism (no matter your age), I highly recommend you give this book a try.
Profile Image for Martha.
149 reviews1 follower
December 19, 2020
Prefect

Oops! Perfect! Good ideas for managing the perfectionist in ourselves and our students. Actionable steps at the end of each chapter provide an easy reference for implementation.
Profile Image for Brandy.
449 reviews3 followers
August 8, 2021
There are some wonderful strategies and insights in this book to help parents and teachers that interact with perfectionist. However, I feel like there have to be some fundamental changes to our society and educational system for many of these suggestions to work.
Profile Image for Müjde.
21 reviews4 followers
February 19, 2022
Written mainly for parents of perfectionist children, yet the reader gains a lot of insight about adult perfectionism as well. There are many action points to learn as well, so this is truly a practical guide.
3 reviews
July 4, 2022
Great Book

This book gives great insight into dealing with perfectionism in an adult or child. I appreciate the application activities as well. It is encouraging knowing my family isn't alone on this journey of dealing with perfectionism.
Profile Image for Renee Hale.
385 reviews1 follower
August 20, 2024
Interesting book which included practical tips on ways to assist people with perfectionistic tendencies. I especially like the rewording examples and definitions through other subjects to help explain it.
Profile Image for Michelle Smart.
432 reviews5 followers
August 14, 2020
Fun and readable. I got some insight into not just my children but myself as well. One of the most helpful ideas to me was that there are different ways that perfectionism manifests.
Profile Image for Jenna.
23 reviews7 followers
June 14, 2022
This was a phenomenal book on understanding perfectionism and making sure it's not hindering your life.
Profile Image for Emma.
168 reviews1 follower
March 22, 2023
Full of practical tips and information to help perfectionists succeed in and out of school. I really enjoyed this book.
Profile Image for Mary.
18 reviews
May 15, 2024
great!

This is such a great book to understand and help perfectionist! It was overwhelming how much it helped me understand myself and my students!
Profile Image for Susan A..
637 reviews3 followers
July 5, 2025
Read this for work. It has some good ideas for working with perfectionists. However, it is self-published and needed to be edited better.
Profile Image for Laura.
124 reviews
November 15, 2025
Learned so much about perfectionism... especially the different types. Really enjoyed this one!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.