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How do YOU [executive] function? :D (Patreon)

Published:
2022-02-21 21:58:19
Imported:
2023-02

Content

Hello Brains!

Another question coming at you from "trying to write a book" land!

Once again, if you happen to remember, please let us know if you'd like to be named or remain anonymous if your answer ends up getting written in the book.

If you don't want to be quoted at all, you are still free to comment, just let us know that you'd like to not be quoted!

TODAY'S QUESTION IS...

How do *you* executive function?

What tips, tricks, and/or routines do you use to help you with your executive functioning?

(Can't remember what executive functioning is? No worries! You can learn about it or refresh your memory here!: https://youtu.be/H4YIHrEu-TU) 

Comments

Anonymous

I write them down. I write things down I need to do, forget about them, and then when I'm in the right headspace, I can evaluate them and see if they are a necessary task for now or for the future. I also use times to give myself allotted breaks if I become fatigues if I'm at home and have tasks I need to accomplish. Obviously, I still am not perfect, but at the end of the day I'm trying my best, just like everyone else.

Adam Glenn

For managing the tasks I'm currently working on I use https://todoist.com . I have 2 categories called work and personal to help me switch contexts between the two. When it's working hours I filter my tasks to work that is due today (or overdue). I use it for _EVERYTHING_ reading, self care, research projects, etc. I have it on my phone and on my work computer so I am always able to see all of my tasks and I can enter them quickly when I get a new one. I spend some time each morning reviewing my tasks for the day and I try to be realistic about what I can accomplish. What ever I intend to do that day, or have to because of a deadline, stays in my daily view. Everything else gets punted to tomorrow. For taking notes I use https://obsidian.md/ I could literally spend hours explaining what I love about it and how I use it but the TL;DR is that I treat it like a personal wiki. Anything that's an idea I have goes into the Obsidian Vault. If it's something I learned while working on a project, it goes in the vault. It's a great program for taking text notes and with the Excalidraw plugin, visual notes. I'd be happy to chat in more detial if you're interested.

Anonymous

Feel free to use my name :-) I knew that I got a HUGE dopamine hit out of laying down stickers and washi tape before I knew I had ADHD, and they've been a big part of my planning process for a long time. I also have a planning system with multiple points of redundancy: pen and paper for the sticker fun, and then digital for the ability to set alarms and recurring tasks. Oh, and I really like Sunsama for helping me to prioritise my tasks for the day once I have my unrealistically huge task list written down :-) Once it comes to actually DOING the stuff I've planned for my day, accountabilty/body doubling is my most effective tool. I have an accountability buddy / business bestie who's a fellow brain, and the two of us regularly do online co-working sessions together. Plus, I'm also a member of Focusmate, which is an amazing and very inexpensive body doubling service. And to keep on getting sticker-induced dopamine hits over the day, I have a notebook in front of me at my desk that I write down what I'm supposed to be doing in a given work interval (oh, yeah, I also use a modified version of pomodoros when I'm working too). Then if I notice myself getting pulled off into something else, I'll take a few moments to lay down a couple of stickers somewhere on the page with the thing I'm working on on it for the mini-dopamine-hit it provides. These tools don't work perfectly 100% of the time - I still get distracted or hit motivation walls - but they do definitely make a difference in terms of how many of the things that need doing I get done overall.

Anonymous

Feel free to use my name: Over and over I've tried creating lists. On paper, in notebooks, in apps, etc. Sometimes I have success for a while, but the well runs dry on it eventually. I'm still learning about why that is and how to counteract it (some of that help coming from your videos!) I definitely need to see my tasks in front of me in some fashion if I am ever going to remember to do them.

Anonymous

Feel free to use my first name w. initial. As another member of the recently-diagnosed-as-a-mature-adult-and-we're-still-working-out-the-meds club, I still struggle with some (okay, a lot of) executive function issues, but I did develop some strategies growing up. The main one is alarms. All the alarms. Some of my alarms have alarms. I used to feel ridiculous with my alarms, but now I embrace them because they get me where I need to go. I use other audio cues as well: listening to the morning radio show with very predictable and defined news broadcasts on the hour and half-hour helps me avoid the worst of the time-blindness as I get ready for work/get distracted by that "just one more thing" I need to do before leaving. Having all my mostly analogue clocks set ahead to slightly different times also tricks my brain: I get the visual "oh, it's that time, or close to it; I need to get going" and since I don't know if that clock is the one that is 5, 7 or just 3 minutes ahead, it gives me a push. Putting a clock in the bathroom is also very helpful. And bless the people who have put Pomodoro timers on YouTube because while I have those set up on my computer and phone, I never remember to turn on the timer to end my breaks!.

Anonymous

I don't remember who first told me to work with my brain not against it. Probably you, but like many things I didn't really understand what it meant, until I did it. So cleaning my house for example. I could tell myself I'm going to do the dishes today. I will set alarms, ignore them. Get distracted with a billion other things. Finally go to the dishes, get overwhelmed with the amount and either panic and avoid or do them but it takes me all day and I'm exhausted after. Like the work to force my brain to do this thing when my brain to do one particular thing is exhausting when actually it would rather organize under the sink or the pet meds or the closet or something else. So I allowed my brain to lead. I butterflied all over the house whereever my brain decided to fixate on at the moment and you know what? I got stuff done and a lot of stuff done. Not the dishes LOL but I got way more done than what I would have. The next day my brain let me get some of the dishes done and then I butterflied elsewhere. So not fighting with my brain didn't make sense until it did. Also I rely on friends to 'mom' me sometimes and I help them when they're struggling in other ways. I helped my friend by going to do something she had no energy left to do, but she helped me navigate a situation I usually panic in and reminded me to eat. Lol

Anonymous

So, I'm not sure 100% if this counts (and maybe it's a little tmi, but I also feel like it's important to share because bodies are all weird. ) But the biggest thing that's helped my executive function these last 2 years has strangely been letting my birth control lapse. I've used the birth control implant for around 6 years, and I stopped having periods completely in that time. But when the world shut down during 2020, I ended up not being able to get it replaced for various reasons (Dr's office not wanting the schedule the procedure, insurance issues, etc) so, I haven't been able to get it replaced. And, let me tell you, my menstrual cycle has changed A LOT since I started the birth control. I also had no idea I could have ADHD when I started it, so there's been a lot I didn't understand. So, with this new understanding of myself, it's been very helpful in understanding both how my mental state and body change as I go through my cycle, but also how that all affects my ADHD symptoms. It's helped SO MUCH to understand myself this way and has felt so empowering. If there are any other menstruating humans who haven't noticed these correlations, pay attention to your cycle. It will tell you a lot and help you do better for yourself. Also, quote me however you like. I have no preferences.

Anonymous

Feel free to use my name For me, switching from a polarizing (aka focused vs not focused) to a more flexible approach helped. So now I try and be "focused enough" for the tasks which I can be a little more relaxed about. Maybe it takes me a little longer to clean my room, or to complete a task at work, and maybe I get carried away a little here and there, but that's okay as long as I circle back. The other thing that helps is making space for my own tendencies, aka working with my brain rather than against. If I know I'll do something at the last minute, and I'm sure I'll be able to pull it off, I just let myself do that. I don't pressure myself to be on top of it until the last minute, and I accept the result as my best. This way, by taking pressure away from stuff I can do without needing to be perfect, I can reserve my energy for the things I really need to get on top of. For those, I do my best to set up systems that keep me going. This includes making it easier for myself to get started, making myself as comfortable as possible while I'm doing them, setting up gentle accountability checks, and making clear priority lists and setting aside deliberate time for them. I think shifting the narrative from doing everything "correctly" and in a neurotypical way, to accepting my mess and focusing on getting stuff done my way, according to my priorities, has been key.

Anonymous

Can you use my first name and last initial? (Eric M.) 1. So honestly the brain timers on your YouTube channel have been an absolute lifesaver! Anytime I need to do work where there's not a hard and fast deadline I use the timers and it helps me stay on task and do consistent work. 2. I use checklists for a lot of things, but especially for items I need to take with me before I head out the door. I use the app called "To do" but I know there's many other good ones. 3. I use multiple calendar apps, Google calendar and my outlook calendar so that I can put reminders in multiple places. 4. A big benefit from your channel has been helping me realize that it's OK to give myself rewards for doing things that are hard for me but typical for neuro-typicals. So I'll earn "video game time" with however many hours I work, or tasks that I complete, etc. Hope this helps! Thanks for all you do on this channel.

Anonymous

First name and Last initial work. My biggest unusual executive function tip is whenever I need to remember something vital, such as a checklist of things, someone else's name, an important phone number, etc, I like to associate it with something nonsensical or humorous to make it stand out. For example, every time I walk out the door, I do the four-way pat: got my phone, got my keys, got my wallet, got my spaghetti! It's a random meme I found on the internet and it has helped immensely with the little details!

Anonymous

Feel free to use my full name. I use so, so, so many alarms. I have learned I WILL forget food in the oven, soaking dishes, laundry, watering my plants with a sprinkler, etc. (basically all of my housework). I use alarms at work also to remember to get up and stretch, get water, use the bathroom. Sometimes I get so focused I abuse my bladder and get leg cramps. I have also found that because I'm so hooked to my phone and mostly don't forget it, I use it as my personal planner/lists. I'd like to believe I will stick to a physical planner but I won't. I love using Google's free products because I can type almost as fast as I think, so I am less likely to lose the thought. And I can use it on my android phone and any computer I'm on. I use a physical journal for self reflection, organizing thoughts, and breaking down goals/steps because it forces my brain to slow down a little bit since I can't write fast. At work my employer pays for Office 365 and the Planner app has been great because I can break down projects and tasks as fine as I need. I can also store EVERYTHING in one or two places.

Anonymous

Im ok with being quoted however you want as long as you dont involve my age *enter* the only way I can really exeuctive function is by relating the sfuff i have to do to my life goals and dreams so that way I feel the motivation to do it by relating it to something thats important to me, I've tried routines but everything I miss it the whole thing breaks so I usually just go with a "do this more" sorta thing which works a lot better with my other mental health conditions and most importantly my chronic illness

Cyclic Addict Recovering
>>78435620

Hey! A fellow Todoist user! I've started looking into using Obsidian lately too. Just happy to find a fellow mind on here :)