Breaking down goals when you have executive dysfunction
One of the hardest parts of executive dysfunction is planning. There are a lot of different parts, and all of them require skills we do not have!
This Tumblr is here to help with breaking tasks and projects down into steps, but even once you have that, there’s figuring out how long stuff is going to take and scheduling each step so you get things done on time. And then you have to battle inertia to actually do the things!
But let’s go back to the beginning. Sure, if you need the steps for a task you can look here or send an ask. But what if that’s not an option, or the steps we have aren’t going to work for you?
Here is how you break down a task into its steps. I will use brushing your teeth as my example. Yes, you are going to find out exactly how I brush my teeth
1. Write down the task.
Brushing my teeth.
2. Write down all of the things you can think of that need to happen to do the task, including fetching materials. Don’t worry about the order yet.
Put toothpaste on toothbrush
Put toothbrush on outside of back upper molars
Scrub outside of upper teeth
Scrub outside of bottom teeth
Scrub top of bottom teeth
Scrub bottom of upper teeth
Scrub inside of upper teeth
Scrub inside of bottom teeth
Get toothbrush
Get toothpaste
Brush top of tongue
Rinse mouth with lukewarm water
Get cup
Rinse toothbrush
Put away toothbrush
Put cap on toothpaste
Put toothpaste away
Rinse rim of cup
Put cup away
Remember you should brush your teeth
Go to bathroom sink
3. Figure out what order the steps actually go in. Think about whether you can do the next step in your list after the first one, and also think about the order you usually do the steps in. If you realize you forgot something, add it now!
Remember you should brush your teeth
Go to bathroom sink
Get toothbrush
Get toothpaste
Get cup
Put toothpaste on toothbrush
Put cap on toothpaste
Put toothpaste away
Put toothbrush on outside of back upper molars
Scrub outside of upper teeth
Scrub outside of bottom teeth
Scrub top of bottom teeth
Scrub bottom of upper teeth
Scrub inside of upper teeth
Scrub inside of bottom teeth
Brush top of tongue
Rinse mouth with lukewarm water
Rinse rim of cup
Put cup away
Rinse toothbrush
Put away toothbrush
Smile big on the mirror and celebrate!
4. Test your steps and tweak as needed. Don’t forget to celebrate when you’re done!














