Glossary of Neurodivergent Therapy Lingo
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Understanding Executive Dysfunction: Who it Affects and Why It Matters

Everyone can experience executive dysfunction at some point in their lives. Those that are neurodivergent, overwhelmed, navigating chronic conditions, or burnt out are most likely to experience many executive dysfunction symptoms. The overwhelm from other life tasks and ongoing stressors can greatly increase these symptoms. 

Practical Hacks for Managing Executive Dysfunction at Home and Work

Though executive dysfunction can be debilitating, there may be tools or techniques one can use at work or home to make functioning a little easier. In a “How to ADHD” video, Jessica McCabe and Caroline Maguire mentioned various hacks that support executive function: creating launchpads, having easy access to things, creating a point of performance, making labels, and automating tasks. 

Simplify Your Routine with Launchpads: Making Mornings Easier

Launchpads ensure all the things you need to leave your home in one place. Reflect on how you set your stuff down when you get home.

Would it be helpful to have designated places for your shoes, bags, coats, and keys to make leaving the house quicker and easier? Do you find yourself frustrated in the morning because you don’t have a designated place for your keys so they could be anywhere in the house?

This is where a launchpad can be helpful. It is a designated place for all your items you need when leaving the house. In the video Maguire even had all her socks folded by the door so that she didn’t have to run up stairs to put them on before she left. 

Enhance Focus and Reduce Stress with Easy Access Solutions

Having easy access to things can make our brains feel less overwhelmed. For example, having a phone charger in every room can make it so you don’t have to run to the bedroom every time your phone is dying, and it keeps you focused on the task at hand.

Anything you can do to make access to your needed items easier is so great for your brain to not get tired. This can even work well at your job, like keeping a water bottle at your desk so you don’t have to walk to the break room every time you are thirsty. 

Point of Performance: Streamline Your Tasks with Efficient Organization

Point of performance was another great hack mentioned by McCabe in the video. She used the example of making coffee in the morning. She had all items necessary for coffee-making stored near each other and within arms reach.

What are some tasks that might be easier for you if all items were closer together?

For me, having my medicines in my kitchen, next to the fridge, under the cupboard makes the task of taking my medicine so simple. I just grab a glass, fill it with the water in the fridge right next to the cupboard, and take my medicine that is organized in weekly pill containers.

Before having this point of performance, I would often forget to take my medicine, since I used to leave it in the pantry that I didn’t always look at in the morning. Now my medicine is in my line of sight in the morning right when I reach for my first glass of water for the day. 

Labeling for Success: How Simple Labels Can Reduce Overwhelm

Labeling can also help our overwhelmed brain. Whether this be labeling your folders on your computer for easy access at work or labeling storage in your pantry, labeling can decrease time and brainpower spent looking for items. 

Boost Your Executive Function with Automation: Easy Solutions for Busy Lives

Automation is perfect for executive function, because it takes little to no thought after it is set up!

• Automating of commonly used items

• Automating light switches to turn off when you close a door

• Automating billing so you do not have to deal with remembering to do that every month.

There are so many things you can automate to make executive functioning easier!

Make Life Easier with Smart Organizational Strategies

Life is busy and exhausting at times, so setting up your home and work to make it easier for you to complete tasks can really help conserve your mental and emotional energy so you’ve got more available to you for the people and things that really matter to you.