Executive Dysfunction: Recommendations for Planning, Organising and Prioritising

It’s a brand new year so let’s kick off the year with a post on executive function!

Executive function is a combination of mental skills that involve problem solving, working memory and self-control. These skills also include planning, organizing, and prioritizing, which are crucial for achieving goals, managing time effectively, and staying focused. For many of us with Autism or ADHD, these three skills may prove difficult for us to fully put into place making us struggle to achieve our goals. In this blog post, we will look into some practical recommendations to support these essential executive functions.

Planning

Effective planning is the cornerstone of successful execution. Sometimes we may make a plan only to realise later that it was vague, unrealistic or too ambitious. Here are some recommendations to help improve planning skills:

Use visual aids: Utilise calendars, planners, or digital apps to visually map out tasks and deadlines. For those who prefer analog visual aids, there are plenty of personalised calendars, planners and habit trackers on Amazon or Etsy. For those who prefer digital visual aids here are a few apps to try out:

• Google Calendar

• Llama Life

• Brite App

• Todist

• Brili App

• Trello

• Tiimo

• Evernote

• Magic ToDo (Goblin tools) 

• Genie App

Set achievable goals: Establish realistic and attainable objectives to avoid feeling overwhelmed. You can use SMART Goals as a guide:

• Specific

• Measureable

• Achievable 

• Realistic

• Time-bound

Organising

An organised approach can significantly reduce stress and increase productivity. Consider the following strategies:

• Declutter your workspace: A tidy environment can lead to a clearer mind and improve focus. Ask someone to help you if you are struggling with certain chores (see body-doubling).

• Use Body-Doubling: If you are struggling to initiate tasks alone, sometimes having someone help you a little or just being with you during the difficult task can make the task a lot more manageable.  

• Establish systems: Develop consistent methods for organising files, documents, and materials to streamline workflow. Many of us benefit from colour-coding items or even labelling all the cupboards and drawers in the house. 

• Prioritize accessibility: Keep frequently used items easily accessible to save time and minimize distractions. Use clear baskets or shallow boxes to keep important items tidy and have one in every room. 

• Create neurodiverse-friendly environment: There are many resources out there demonstrating how to create a more neurodiverse-friendly household. Here is a video of an ADHD friendly household by How To ADHD.

Prioritising

Prioritisation involves determining the most important tasks and allocating time and resources accordingly. Here are some ways to improve this skill:

• Identify urgent vs. important tasks: Use tools like the Eisenhower Matrix to distinguish between tasks that are both urgent and important, urgent but not important, important but not urgent, and neither urgent nor important.

• Learn to say no: Boundary setting is an important skill that some of us may struggle with thanks to learning to people-please as a form of masking. Recognise when to decline additional commitments that may hinder progress on high-priority tasks and learn to recognise when you need more time for yourself. 

• Regularly reassess priorities: Circumstances in life tend to change over time, sometimes drastically, sometimes barely, but either way it is important to regularly review and adjust priorities to ensure they are aligned with your goals. This can be difficult when we struggle with flexibility so be sure to plan ahead for unexpected circumstances and know that it is okay when things don’t go as planned or when you need more time to process these changes. 

Improving our executive function skills especially planning, organising, and prioritising can have a deep impact on personal and professional success especially if we inherently struggle with executive dysfunction. These recommendations are helpful guides but do remember to set healthy, realistic expectations of yourself and try not to beat yourself up for not being able to follow plans you have set out or goals you want to achieve. These skills come with consistent practice and it is normal for everyone to have their good and bad days but eventually it would help lead you to a more organised, productive, and fulfilling life.