What are some tricks for getting executive dysfunction to bugger off long enough to do the thing?
    Here are some ideas Iâve either found work for me or Iâve been told work for other people. Hopefully youâll find some of them effective or, if not, maybe theyâll inspire you to come up with some brand new strategies of your own.
Declare your intent aloud. Announce to yourself (and other people, if theyâre around) that youâre going to do the thing you need to do. Eg: âI will clean the sink.â âI am going to have a shower.â
Talk yourself through the task. Narrating the steps of my current task as I do them helps me to concentrate and follow through. Eg: âI am gathering the empty cups from the table and putting them in the sink.â Sometimes I can then even start narrating things I am not doing and Iâll automatically follow through because itâs become a habit in the moment. If a task involves reading, try reading it aloud.
Steal the energy from elsewhere. Engage with something that makes you feel good first, then ride that high to do the thing that doesnât. If the task involves doing something physical, put on some energetic music that makes you want to dance and then channel that dance energy into task energy.
Hype yourself up. Channel your inner feel-good sports movie coach and start telling yourself how awesome you are, how youâre gonna kick this taskâs butt and this task doesnât stand a chance. Repeat random over-the-top motivational phrases until the motivation has no choice but to appear, like summoning an eldritch being by annoying them until they acknowledge you.
Break the task into steps. Very often Iâll have trouble tackling tasks, even simple ones, just because I donât know where to start and the whole thing feels bigger than it is. In this case I find it helps to determine the steps that a task involves and do them one at a time, treating each one as its own job. Eg: Instead of âI will write an essayâ try âI will write an introductory paragraphâ or even just âI will write an introductory sentenceâ.
Write the steps down. Goodness knows I canât follow verbal instructions for the life of me unless theyâre given one step at a time. Rather than trying to keep the steps straight in your head, write them down and keep referring back to that list when you get sidetracked, lost, or stuck.
Do the task out of order. If the task allows it, try doing whatever part is most appealing first to ease yourself into the workflow.
Make the workload smaller. If jobs like doing dishes or laundry seem like too much work, consider if you can get rid of some of the clothes or dishes to cut down on how much work there is in the first place. If youâve committed to too large a project, see if you can simplify it or distribute the work involved among a group.
Narrow your focus. Rather than tackling an entire task at once, try breaking it into easier-to-manage chunks. If you need to do laundry or dishes, specify that youâre only going to wash shirts or plates. If reading an entire book is intimidating, assign yourself a certain number of pages at a time. If reading an entire page of text is intimidating, try covering the page with a loose piece of paper and slowly revealing lines as you read.
Do it in five minute increments. Set a timer for five minutes and do the task for the duration. If you feel like you could do a little more, keep at it. If youâre still struggling, give yourself a break (you can also time your break if you find that helps) and try again later.
Use a buddy. See if thereâs someone whoâs willing to have a call going or who will come sit by you or even just check in every once in a while to keep you accountable. ADHDers are notorious for lacking internal motivation, so employing someone else to externalize it can make a big difference.
Be kind to yourself. Sometimes, no matter what you do, your brain just doesnât want to cooperate. If you feel yourself getting frustrated, remember that itâs not your fault. Take a step back, have a snack or drink of water, give yourself some time to decompress, and donât be afraid to ask for help. Taking care of yourself will help you to actually be in good enough condition to do the job.
    Iâve also talked more in-depth about how I personally tackle doing tasks despite executive dysfunction here, and I have an ADHD Writing Advice post here that has some tips that may be applicable to tasks other than writing.
    To others who struggle with executive dysfunction, what are some strategies youâve discovered work for you?
