Executive Dysfunction

This is a thing I struggle with.

It is also a thing that I don't have any real strategies for dealing with.

That needs to change.

What I know already

Some days and some tasks are fine.

Just having and working with a to-do list can in itself be overwhelming some days.

My ability to function seems cyclical - I go from being able to do heaps in chaos to being able to do relatively little in relative calm.

Sometimes it feels like self-sabotage.

Special interest distractions are a thing.

I'm better at home, with physical tasks I know my partner cares about. But - if she de-prioritises them a few times they fall off my radar.

I'm better with regular things that have a definite spot in the general daily schedule - i.e. allocating a slot my own calendar for something doesn't work, I won't protect that slot against external pressure on time. So I'll just ignore my whole schedule quite quickly once it gets tipped over a few times.

Stuff to read

• ED - webmd
• ED Deficit
• Strategies for weak ED
• 10 ED strategies
• Adults with ED disorder
• Exercises and Strategies for ED
• Getting through a day
• Feeling stuck

Notes

• 5 ED coping skills
  1. Lazyness is a choice we all make sometimes. ED is the opposite - a lack of agency - i.e. just cannot do the thing you know needs to be done and that you want to do.
  2. Coping skills
     1. Talk your way through tasks out loud
     2. Identify where to start -> ED messes with your ability to prioritize. Slow down, talk yourself through the task out loud and find a place to start. Doesn't have to be the right place, just a place where you are able to start
     3. Break tasks into smaller steps
     4. Plan ahead if possible
     5. Reach out to others when you are stuck
• 4 brain hacks for ED
  • Executive function is the ability to organize and execute our thoughts and actions, and executive dysfunction is the opposite: scattered thoughts, missed deadlines, and intense frustration over everyday tasks
  • Brain hacks
    • Ask for help (additional deadlines and personal meetings)
    • Lie to yourself a bit (just going to do 10 minutes, then 10 more, etc.)
    • Talk to yourself out loud
    • Break up big tasks into little ones - especially for long term projects, create shorter term deadlines and clear tasks