Do you need help with executive functioning skills?

Question

Learn how to plan, prioritize, organize and shift your attention on the steps that matter most to reach your goals.

Answer 1

EF is how you make, maintain, and adjust your plans. It stems from your expectations of how events will go, your ability to plan and then your belief in the plans ability to work.

I think the best answer to this question is figuring out what drives you. ADHD is traditionally viewed upon as a lack of ability to focus mixed with the ability to hyperfocus. There is either an obvious contradiction or a more than likely oversimplification.   I believe that ADHD is not a problem with focusing but a problem with selecting what to focus on.

In that case finding motivators is the solution. Extrinsic motivators are fantastic for staying on task on subjects that do not hold your interest. For example, let’s pretend you hated a math assignment and often get distracted when attempting to complete it. If each time you get distracted you had a goal outside the homework that could draw you back the problem would be easier to complete.  To put simply if every time you became distracted you could say “wait come back, I need to do this so I can go on a road trip this weekend” you would be more likely to finish the assignment. Your extrinsic motivator needs to be great enough to overcome the lack of enthusiasm for the task.  If you pick bad motivators this strategy won’t work.You will find that you will not need much aid focusing on things intrinsically motivating.

Now to organization this comes from experience. You must have an idea how long you can focus before things go off the rails. If you are only able to maintain focus for, say 30 minutes then that is it. No need to feel guilty or to demand more of yourself. You just need to plan it out. Next is expectations of outcomes. If you assume things will be bad you shall avoid them. If you can assume it is a doable task you are more likely to engage.  A calendar is only useful when you believe in the plans laid on it.  If doing x will lead to y and you have a strong enough motivator then you will actually engage with your plans.

In short to improve these skills one must figure out what drives them, then look at what behaviors the engage with to identify what can be modified.  All this to say your goal orientation turns into motivation and then you can build proper expectations.

Answer 2

I can work with your child on planning, determining, and accomplishing their goals! The first step is to set a goal and then create objectives to help them reach it.