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Making detailed lists is helpful to remember what you have to do and prioritize it, but is only one part (planning) of executive function. The other part, actua
by ulnarkressty 2y ago
Making detailed lists is helpful to remember what you have to do and prioritize it, but is only one part (planning) of executive function. The other part, actually executing, is arguably harder since it requires more input energy than just writing something on a piece of paper.
For some people the energy required to do the simplest things, like taking out the pot from the coffee maker, is much greater than would reasonably be expected. As a result these tasks seem almost impossible to do, no matter how many times they write it down. Yet, all the advice out there after having written down the task seems to be 'just do it'.
- senbrow 2y agoOne strategy that sometimes works for me (ADHD) is the "momentum building" approach. Rather than start with the hardest tasks first, I'll start with the easiest. If I'm struggling with the easiest one, then it means I need even easier ones on the list to ramp up. If I'm REALLY stuck, I can often overcome that starting inertia by doing something physical IMMEDIATELY (pushups, body weight squats) and then trying to see how fast I can start the task I'm stuck on. Something about getting the body moving seems to help. There is also the trick of doing some introspection about why I'm having trouble starting a task, because often my executive dysfunction is tied to some emotional valence (eg fear of messing up, fear of taking too long because I will get distracted) and addressing each one aloud ("It's okay if I mess it up, I'm going to try it anyway", etc).