Executive Dysfunction

Do you often lose track of time or struggle with time management?

Are you as organized as can be at work, while it looks like a tornado has hit your bedroom?

Do you have trouble initiating or completing tasks?  

These could be some signs of executive dysfunction.

Executive functions are processes involved in cognitive control of behavior such as helping us to plan, focus our attention, multitask, problem solve, remember instructions, and regulate our impulses and emotions. All skills the frontal lobe and prefrontal cortex of our brain are largely responsible for.

Some common signs those with executive dysfunction may notice include:

• Being late, or constantly rushing to, social events, meetings, appointments, school or work

• Difficultly with making deadlines, or completing a task right at deadline

• Difficultly with focus or attention

• Difficulty initiating or completing tasks

• Struggles with short term memory or sequencing of tasks

• Often misplacing papers, keys, phones or other possessions

• Impulsivity or mood swings

Executive dysfunction is commonly reported as a symptom of ADHD, but it can also be an accompanying struggle with depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, a history of emotional trauma, and/or a traumatic brain injury.

The thing with executive dysfunction is that these individuals WANT to start/complete a task, they make a DEDICATED EFFORT to remember instructions, and they COMMIT to taking action…but often fall short of these commitments despite how hard they try. This often leads to feelings of frustration and shame.

This struggle can feel isolating and even be a point of contention between partners, children and friends due to a lack of understanding.

If this is something you relate to, it’s not your fault, and you are not alone.  A key to working through this is to set your brain up for success! If your brain doesn’t work in a neurotypical way, I encourage you to stop trying to force it to work in a “typical” way. Embrace your uniqueness and begin to learn how to work with your brain, rather than fighting against it.

Here are 6 tips that can help you get started doing just that!

1. Stop shaming yourself.

Easier said than done, I know, but it CAN be done. 

If you make a to-do list, and then don’t have the motivation to do anything on the to-do list, and then beat yourself up all day about not doing the to-do list, it’s not going to help you tackle that to-do list more quickly! It’s going to take your time and energy, and make you feel awful about yourself.

When we are in shame spiral, our brain and body feel unsafe. When we’re feeling unsafe, we switch into fight-or-flight, which puts our amygdala, rather than our frontal lobe, in the decision making “driver’s seat”.

From your brain’s perspective, it is not a time to be finishing homework or planning for the future – it’s a time to survive.  So, when we’re in a shame cycle, our focus becomes all about the shame, not the tasks at hand.  Every time you shame yourself, you’re less likely to be successful at completing the task.

Self-compassion is an antidote to shame.  Being kind and gentle toward yourself is a far greater motivator than being hard on yourself. If you notice you frequently slip into shame cycles and/or beat yourself up frequently, some trauma healing work with a qualified practitioner could be incredibly beneficial as you work through your executive dysfunction.

2. Take an inventory on what has been helpful in the past.

Think of the tasks you have completed. The moments where you made a commitment on time. The areas of your life you’ve stayed organized. Can you pinpoint anything helpful that went into those experiences? Identifying what already works well for your brain is key to maximizing your strengths.       

3. Give your brain the dopamine fix it wants.

While there are many reasons one may struggle with initiating and completing tasks, one of them is that the task is under stimulating. So do your best to make it stimulating; make it fun!

One of my favorite things to do is to make the task into a game, puzzle or challenge. 

• Set a timer for 3 minutes and see how many articles of clothing you can put away

• Pretend you’re in a movie or on a show and someone is watching you or you’re performing while you do the task

• If possible, sing, dance, clap, or jump while doing the task

• Listen to stimulating music or a show in the background if the task allows

• Grab some sour candy or chew some gum while performing the task

Stimulate your mind in some way, and then ride that wave of stimulation into doing the task.

4. Break the task down into smaller, more manageable chunks.

For someone who does not have executive dysfunction, something like calling a doctor’s office to make an appointment may seem like a simple, one step task. However, for someone with executive dysfunction, this task can seem like an incredibly overwhelming, multi-step task.

For example:

You have to figure out which doctor you need to see (this may include research)

You have to search for the phone number

You have to find your insurance card

You have to think about what you’re going to say

You have to make the phone call

You have to navigate scheduling and availability

Etc.

All of these steps may lead you to putting it off for another day. I encourage you to consider committing to figuring out what doctor to see one day. Then searching for the phone number the next. Locating your insurance card the next. Etc. Breaking it down into smaller more manageable steps can reduce the overwhelm and set yourself up to successfully complete the task.

5. Body doubling.

Grab an accountability buddy!  You could call someone and just leave them on speaker while you’re doing your task, or, have someone sit there with you in person until you complete the task. For some people it’s helpful to have the person involved in task, others, simply having their presence in the room is helpful.      

6. Celebrate!

Celebrate your wins; no discounting! Did you put 3 plates away from the dishwasher? Yay, celebrate! Did you finally make a 2 minute phone call you’ve been putting off? Woo Hoo, celebrate! Did you break down one of the 10 boxes in the garage? Excellent, celebrate!

Celebrating activates your brain’s reward center. Your brain learns it feels good to do tasks, and wants to do more of them to feel good again! It doesn’t matter if the task seems small or insignificant…celebrating yourself is key!

Which of these are you up for giving a try?

For tools and support to learn how to accept yourself, and help to feel like your brain is working for you rather than against you, check out my virtual, self-study course, The Exhausted Achiever