Help- How to overcome executive dysfunction?

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This is pretty much what I do, except I use Outlook on my computer. I set up weekly and daily recurring tasks so that I don't forget to do important things. I set reminders when something needs to be completed by a certain time. I email myself so I don't forget to do things at work that I think about while I'm at home, and vice versa. If I think of something I need to do I make a note right then and there. If I don't, I'll forget about it. I do all of this for the little day-to-day things as well.

I have clocks everywhere and carry a watch. I live in a small studio apartment and I have seven clocks (including the one on my computer) so that I can always look and see what time it is. Two of the clocks are alarm clocks and I use them frequently as timers.

One trick I use to keep from leaving things at home is to put my keys with whatever I need to take with me that day. I can't leave the house without my keys!

Since you can manage to keep track of a cell phone, perhaps it would worthwhile to you to invest in a PDA?

I have a PDA which helps. Unfortunately it's a large and a bit of pain to carry all the time.


Some tricks that help me:

* hanging a cloth shopping bag on the doorknob of the front door with the things I need to take with me when I go out in it.

* putting important papers on the floor in the doorway outside my bedroom, so I get reminded as soon as I get up

* positioning things in annoying places where I'll be forced to see them; right now some bills and a form are between my keyboard the bottom of the monitor, such that they intrude a little bit into the monitor's screen area

* lists lists lists, and sometimes lists of lists (the PDA has simplified that somewhat, thank g-d)

Yeah, I agree, it is important, but sometimes (read "every day") it doesn't occur to me to think about things. The ideas that people had about external reminders would probably work, though.


LadyMacbeth: I have a set place for certain things (musical instruments, my computer, my bankbooks and my wallet), but other things just go wherever because I haven't been able to figure out a system for organising my possessions. Part of the problem is that I can think of too many principles that could guide the organisation, and I get overwhelmed.

One of those dry-wipe boards would probably really help; I might look into getting one.

I don't have a problem with getting to work because I'm used to the routine of getting there at the same times each week.
My phone does often run out of battery because I forget to charge it. (I bought a digital organiser because of this. I thought that it was a bad sign that by the time I got it home, the stylus was lost. I don't know where the organiser is now.)




Yeah, this is a problem for me too.




Great, another thing to worry about if I ever manage to move out of my parents' house.

There were some excellent suggestions here. I have some other issues that I'd like people's input on. The first one is being able to implement the suggestions. I'm sure many of you are familiar with what it's like to get locked into courses of action even when you know full well that they are causing problems: how do I overcome this and start doing things in ways that are helpful to me?

The second one is being able to figure out what I need to do, and the order I need to do things in, without becoming overwhelmed and freezing (as in, literally unable to move because my brain, not knowing what to do next, elects to do nothing).

Related to the second is knowing that becoming overwhelmed is inevitable, albeit probably minimisable, how do I get back to something (e.g., making a list) after I've become overwhelmed (I have the problem where, if I don't do things in one chunk, I often can't finish them).

The third is being able to stick to the helpful changes for long enough that they become habit.

(I found this list (quoted below) on this page http://home.comcast.net/~kskkight/EFD.htm ; all of the things listed apart from the first item are problems for me.

Perhaps you could get someone to help you make a list and prioritize it. Then, only focus on the item at the top of your list -- the other items don't exist/matter until you've finished the top item.

As for your phone, set a reminder to charge it daily or however often is necessary. I do this for my mp3 player -- if I didn't have a task set up in Outlook, I'd be without music the next day.

Remember: only focus on those things that have to be done right now -- the rest can wait.

Also, once you know what you need to do, try to get into a routine. Once you're on automatic pilot you won't be as likely to "freeze" because you can't decide what to do next.

My solution is different:

Keep things simple! The less stuff you own the less work is required to keep it orderly. A one bedroom flat with a small kitchen is easier to keep clean than a eight bedroom house.

I also..

Live in a small apartment
Only have two sets of dishes so dishes won't build up in the sink
Keep out only enough clothes for 1 week and hide the rest so I don't get "wardrobe confused" and waste time and be late for things
Take time every day to make "organizational time."
I also use "43things.com" to keep me focused on my goals. I post every day about my progress toward my goals.

I have read that there is PDA software that is specifically designed for ED. I think it's mostly intended for people with TBI, so it's expensive, and is a medical thing which is only available through a doctor.

It apparently is dynamic and adapts the list/schedule/flowchart when you miss an appointment, or need to take a break, or get lost, and so forth.

Anyway, it's mentioned in a book I have, but I can't find where ATM. I can keep looking for the name if it's of interest to anyone.

(The book is "Over my Head," by Claudia L. Osborn)

This is true, too.

I recently spent three days decluttering my studio apartment, and it's a lot easier to find stuff and keep the place clean since I got rid of all that junk.

Kurt Tucholsky, a German journalist of the 1920s famously wrote that a big rubbish bin is the base of any order in the household.

And William Morris said in 1882, "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

I agree with this so much!

I live in a family of four, in a house that is really too small for us. We each have our hobbies, which take up tons of space, and none of us is particularly good at picking up after ourselves. In my fantasy world, my family would live right next door, but I'd have my own house. I would only own the few things I need for my hobbies and interests, and nobody else's stuff would be cluttering up my space!

I love your icon. Just don't show it to Bach.

One thing at a time: that is an excellent suggestion. Part of what overwhelms me is that when I try to think of what I need to do, everything that needs to be done enters my head at once, and I can't sort through it.



I love my autopilot mode; without it I'd hardly be able to function.



Yeah, that's part of the problem, I have a lot of trouble throwing things away. At the moment I'm in the (long and painful (and dusty)) process of tidying my room, and I'm trying to be as brutal as possible when deciding what I need to keep.




That looks useful.
*bookmarks*



Thanks. It's taken from either the Encylopedia Dramatica or the Uncyclopedia page on counterpoint. I studied enough counterpoint at uni that I think I've earned the right to make fun of it.

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this... i relate to.

I keep everything important in my Blackberry phone, everything from appointments and tasks to my current finances. It was kind of a ***** getting used to at first, having a phone telling me what to do and thwarting my routine every day, but I've slowly gotten used to it, and I've also gotten better at putting everything that's not "in my shell" in the phone, especially thoughts in my head which I know are fleeting but worthy of holding on to, so I put them down in the memo section of the phone. Now also, I usually arrange my calendar in agenda format when I'm looking at my next day, so I can see both appointments and tasks which need to be done, and I can get a picture in my head of what the day's going to look like. With the level to which I utilize my Blackberry, I'd venture a guess that my executive function is average to above average, but without it or something like it, I'd probably go back to getting lost in a routine and forgetting to pay bills and do important things for people.

All in all though with the phone, I see it much like using one of my biggest strengths to compensate for one of my biggest weaknesses, using systems and technology to compensate for executive dysfunction. The system is much simpler than keeping track of everything in my head, but just getting used to it sucks. Once you do though, life can become easier. It is easy though for me to lose stuff; however, it's also pretty easy keeping track of a single Blackberry phone rather than a phone, PDA, assignment notebook, and a ton of other random things as it was in the past. This probably won't work for everyone, but if you have a Blackberry or similar smartphone, or the means and desire to get one, it's worth a try.