tl;dr: There are some common and effective ways to help executive dysfunction. These are the 8 best tips for managing executive dysfunction, collected in a list below. There are also larger explanations if you want more information.
If you find it difficult to start and finish working on things…
If you find it difficult to get motivated and stay motivated, or end up procrastinating over and over…
If you keep losing track of time and getting stuck…
This article will be a good place to start. Here, we’ll be going through some of the simplest and most immediate changes you can make to improve your life. Please remember that some of these tips may work better or worse for managing your executive dysfunction. Some may not work well at all, or may need to be combined with other ones to work well. No matter what, the most important thing is doing what you can to make your life better.
- Keep yourself physically and mentally healthy!
- Use small tasks and goals as early wins to start.
- Regularly make written notes and check them.
- Remove distractions from your work environment.
- Keep reminders in obvious locations!
- Block out time in your day for getting things done.
- Break down tasks into bite-sized pieces.
- Get help from a therapist or life coach.
Keep yourself physically and mentally healthy!
When managing executive dysfunction, one of the first tips you should remember is to manage your physical and mental health. The worse they are, the worse executive dysfunction will get. Maintaining a regular sleep schedule, stretching regularly, showering, and eating well are all important ways to keep up your physical health. For mental health, make sure to take any required medications, maintain friendships, and pay attention to stressors in your life. You don’t need to work on all of these at once. Improving any of these aspects tends to make it easier to improve others as well! If you find it overwhelming to think through these, you may find it easier with the help of an online guide.
Use small tasks and goals as early wins to start.
When you have executive dysfunction, starting tasks is often difficult. The same is true for starting to make positive life changes and build coping strategies. Using smaller tasks and more reasonable goals can be very important, especially if you struggle with lower self-esteem. It can give a bit of a boost and an initial “reward” to help get you started and provide motivation to keep going.
Regularly make written notes and check them.
People with executive function also tend to have difficulties with working memory. This can also make executive dysfunction worse by making it easier to simply forget important tasks. You can help manage working memory challenges by keeping a notepad with you or using a notes app on your phone. Build a habit of writing down things you need to do or information you need to remember as soon as you hear about it. In addition, build a secondary habit of checking it regularly as well as anytime you feel uncertain of what to do.
Remove distractions from your work environment.
Distractions generally make it harder to maintain focus and effort on a given job, but executive dysfunction takes it to another level. It is very important to remove distractions from wherever you’re planning to work: Some examples are toys, food, phone, gaming devices, closing youtube, etc. Keeping a fidget toy can often be fine, especially if it helps you focus!
Keep reminders in obvious locations!
While using written notes for reminders is effective, it is also important to keep reminders in places you will actively see them. This can be notes on the door of your bedroom, labels for locations to put objects, or physical reminders of chores and tasks such as a vacuum cleaner in a visible corner of the living room. These reminders help cue your mind to do the task sooner rather than later.
Block out time in your day for getting things done.
Time management is a very powerful tool to handle executive dysfunction. You an use multiple techniques. Some examples are a Pomodoro timer, blocking out periods of time to work exclusively on a given task, and blocking out loose sections of time as “categories”. For the last option, that might mean several hours of “chores”, several hours of “homework”, and several hours of “leisure” as different sections of the day.
Break down tasks into bite-size pieces.
Executive dysfunction makes it very easy to be overwhelmed by the size of a task. If a task is imposing or difficult to start, then your first step can be to try to break it down into a set of smaller tasks you can approach one by one, keeping your focus only on the very next one. Think of a checklist, where each step towards completing the task is a single checkbox. You can use tools like goblin.tools “Magic ToDo” in order to make this process easier and automatically generate a checklist, but practicing breaking down tasks yourself will help you make it an easier habit and improve executive dysfunction overall. Steps can be as simple as “stand up” to begin, if you need that much help!
Get help from a therapist or life coach.
One final tip to help when your executive dysfunction is too difficult: Always consider getting support from a professional. If you’re continuing to work on executive dysfunction alone but are still having trouble, professional help can be very important. Therapists can provide treatment for related conditions in addition to providing coping strategies for executive dysfunction. Coaches can help set effective goals, provide additional strategies, and maintain accountability to your goals.
If you can’t find or afford professional support, try asking a trusted friend or family member instead. Often, they are able to help you maintain accountability and provide a second perspective. I also provide coaching services on a sliding scale for people in financial difficulty. You can check my normal prices here or contact me directly to ask about sliding scale prices here.
A few sources for additional tips and information mentioned in this post, as well as further reading: