The 'Good Enough to Ship' Checklist

The Struggle: Stuck at 90% Forever

ADHDers are notorious for finishing “almost everything” — right up to the last click, button, or submission.

Why? Because done means exposed. It means deciding it’s good enough. And that’s where fear — or executive function glitches — set in.

We stay in draft mode because we don’t trust our internal sense of completion.

The Cost: Mental Clutter and Missed Impact

• The project is nearly complete — but you’re still carrying it

• You can’t move forward because the last 10% is full of invisible friction

• You delay closure, which delays progress

The AI Template Solution

This checklist prompt helps you:

• Name what’s already working

• Identify minor vs major edits

• Decide what’s essential, optional, and ignorable

It turns an emotional debate into a practical finish line.

Base Template (Mad Libs Style):

“Here’s a project I’ve been circling: [Brief description or paste the content]

Can you help me figure out:

• What’s already working?

• What (if anything) still needs polish?

• What I can let go of?

I want to get this out the door.”

Tone Variants:

• Soft:

“I need a kind review — tell me what’s good and what’s minor, so I can stop overthinking.”

• Efficient:

“Help me triage: done, tweak, or drop — I want to ship this today.”

• Curious:

“What’s already solid here? What’s optional? What could I do if I had more time — but don’t have to?”

Template in Use (Dex’s Almost-Done Project)

Dex has been editing a guide for days. He pastes it into his chat window and types:

“I think this is almost done. Can you help me figure out what’s done, what needs polish, and what I can leave alone so I can call it finished?”

AI replies:

“You’ve got a clear structure, strong intro, and 3 good takeaways. Minor tweaks: tighten paragraph 2, fix the call to action. Optional: add one more example — not essential.

Otherwise? Ship it.”

Dex smiles. He fixes the two small pieces and hits publish.

Tips for Personalizing the Prompt:

• Tell AI your goal: “I want to share this,” or “I want closure”

• Ask for a checklist format

• Add constraints: “I only have 30 minutes,” or “This isn’t for perfection — it’s for usefulness”

• Ask for tone feedback: “Does this feel clear, warm, confident?”

When to Use It / When Not To:

Use When:

• You’ve done most of the work but feel unsure if it’s “done”

• You want help separating signal from noise

• You want to finish without getting stuck in polish loops

Avoid When:

• You don’t yet know the point of the project — use a clarity prompt first

• You’re spiraling in shame — try an emotional check-in prompt before deciding

Level Up Option:

“Can you help me build a ‘finish line’ checklist template I can reuse every time I’m close to done?”

Copyable Prompt:

“Here’s something I’m nearly done with. Can you help me review what’s working, what might need one last tweak, and what I can safely ignore so I can ship this today?”