i have ADHD that's super unmedicated because i can't take stimulant medications, so i've had to read ADHD self help books to survive. here are some of my favorite tips regarding executive dysfunction and staying productive, in no particular order:
Get the ball rolling by doing light and easy tasks first. Frequently, my first task on the list is 'eat/take meds'. Doesn't matter how small it is, crossing a thing off your list makes you feel like you're doing something, which keeps you motivated. If you have ADHD, especially if you're unmedicated, you need motivation more than you need air in your lungs. Whatever it takes to get the ball rolling for you is absolutely key.
Have a list of tasks broken down into baby steps. Crossing things off a list makes you feel accomplished and productive, no matter how small, which can keep you motivated.
Start small, and if that's not small enough, go smaller. If step 1 is 'make coffee' and that feels overwhelming, you need to break down 'make coffee' into smaller steps, starting from pouring water into the coffee machine. If you know the exact steps it takes to make coffee, then you can outline to yourself how easy and not overwhelming this task is so that you can get it done.
Before you beat yourself up about not doing something, ask yourself why you don’t want to do it and solve that problem first. You are the first task to take care of. Make sure you've eaten, drank water and have taken care of yourself so that you're physically and mentally prepared to be productive.
You can start or stop doing anything at any point, time is fake and you can pause a youtube video. Mop your floors at 3 am.
Hop between larger and smaller tasks to keep things interesting. For instance, if you're deep-cleaning the bathroom, you can take a short break by doing the dishes or taking out the trash or other smaller tasks instead before going back to the bathroom. This technique, (called 'junebugging' in an older tumblr post I saw), keeps that motivation ball rolling.
Complaining makes everything better. Don’t ‘do it scared’, do it bitching and moaning and dragging your heels until it’s finished.
Doing things will make you feel like there's more time in the day than if you’re sitting around not doing things because you’re worried about how little time you have.
Better to half-ass it than to no ass it by not doing it. Done shitty is better than not done, and done at all is more attainable than perfect.
A half-assed draft can be edited, but a blank page can’t. Get it done first, then you can clean up the details and start perfecting it.
Don’t over complicate or over think it. In fact, don’t even think it. Just do it. The more time you allow yourself to ruminate on the task, the more you’re gonna overthink and overcomplicate it. Don’t think, just do.
It’s often better to drop everything and do a task as soon as you’re thinking about it than it is to finish whatever you’re working on and do it later. You will get distracted, you will forget, so step away from the washing machine and brush your teeth, the laundry will be there when you get back in 3 minutes.
Count yourself down from 3 very quickly to help yourself get motivated to switch tasks, like 3, 2, 1, go! Clapping, snapping, tapping feet, dancing, etc, as you count down can help you to switch gears both mentally and physically.
Your iPad baby brain needs a screensaver when doing non-mentally stimulating tasks like cleaning out the pantry, so listen to a podcast, a TV show, call a friend, etc, while doing them.
Game-ify your tasks through setting timers. See how many dishes you can get done in 20 minutes (after which you switch tasks and do the rest later). Alternatively, just set a timer for 10 minutes before you have to switch to a different task, like junebugging. Don't play "I have to get everything done in 1 hour" because that game will stress you the fuck out.
Stay motivated at all costs. You are the only person who can motivate yourself, so you need to find the things that motivate you to be productive and hang on to them for dear life, until they don't work anymore, at which point switch things up to keep it interesting. Keeping it interesting is the ultimate key to staying motivated.
YMMV but these are some of the things that i have copied and pasted into my self-help documents so that i can reference them when i'm getting stuck on something. tip #4 is especially a lifesaver for me.
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