Last time we looked at the definition of executive functioning and the key Differences Between ADHD and Executive Function. In this part of the series, we will look at Activation. Activation includes organizing and planning tasks, understanding, and obtaining the materials needed to complete tasks, prioritizing tasks and the stages within them, getting started on tasks, and estimating time.
Those of us women with ADHD tend to have trouble planning effectively, difficulty knowing how and when to prioritize tasks, issues getting started, and a poor sense of time.
The result can manifest itself in the following ways:
Doing the things that are currently in front of us, regardless of their importance.
Missing key steps in a task, or doing them in the wrong order.
Finding that we’re always running late, even when we plan to leave on time.
Getting started on something, only to realise we’re missing key items or tools.
Setting goals for ourselves that are way harder to achieve than we thought.
Knowing that something needs doing, and just not being able to start.
Saying “I’ll be there in five minutes!” and finally arriving nearly an hour later.
Putting off doing something, despite it being increasingly urgent.
The Problems With Activation As A Women with ADHD
A women with ADHD lives are affected in several diverse ways by these Activation impairments. We are more likely to be constantly running late. We miss important appointments, get into trouble at school, or work for frequent lateness, and our relationships can suffer when we are always keeping our friends waiting.
Rather than prioritizing tasks based on their importance, we often do the thing that is right in front of us or the task that is being demanded of us by someone else at that moment. We often find ourselves neglecting important things despite being busy.
We are also very prone to procrastination. Often, we will delay starting something—even something we know is important—until the last minute when it’s suddenly an emergency.
The inability to prioritize effectively, combined with our tendency to procrastinate, can negatively affect our school and work performance, cause chaos at home, and create arguments in relationships over things not getting done.
Why Do Women with ADHD Have Trouble With Activation?
Researchers are just starting to understand that the reason behind our chronic procrastination is this impairment in our executive functions. The reason being it takes so much more mental effort for us to organize, plan, prioritize, motivate, and make decisions, it can easily overwhelm our brains and cause us to shut down. We then avoid starting the task because it is just too much. This is not always obvious to the people around us. They may think we have terrible time management, that we are not taking our responsibilities seriously, the task is not important to us, or we are being lazy. They may try to motivate us by nagging, punishment, or telling us to try harder. =
But this is an executive function issue—a result of a chemical imbalance in our brains—not a time management issue nor a personality flaw. No amount of nagging or punishment will fix it—in fact, it makes us believe we simply are not trying hard enough.
So we try harder and harder, achieving short-term success in overcoming procrastination but at the cost of our mental health. This also “proves” to us and others that we just were not trying hard enough before, so pushing ourselves too hard becomes the new bare minimum.
What Can a Women with ADHD Do About It?
There are many areas that are impacted by the impairments in our Activation executive function. Thankfully, there are things you can try to help improve each of them
Get a sense of your day. When you arrive at school, at work, or even right when you wake up, make a few quick notes about your most important tasks and what you want to accomplish by the end of the day.
Schedule things for later. As your day progresses, new things will show up on your radar. When they do, consider if they are more important than whatever you’re doing at that moment. If they aren’t, schedule them for later by writing them down.
Learn to say “no”. Our priorities can change because of other people; a request for help from a colleague, or a friend calling to chat. If we are working on something important, we must learn to say “no”. It’s better to be honest about how much you can take on than it is to over-promise and under-deliver.
Make a good plan. Planning can be a fantastic way to set appropriate goals and targets for us. When you plan, put limits on what you can and cannot do well in advance, and set SMART goals — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound—it takes all sorts of limiting factors out of the picture.
Use trackers, not to-do lists. The ADHD brain finds it challenging to organise information and process it into action towards a predetermined goal. Trackers get the plan out of our heads and onto paper in a format that tells us exactly what needs doing and when, as well as the importance of each task.
Cheat your appointment times. If you must be somewhere at 5:00pm but are usually 15 minutes late for everything, set a reminder 15 minutes earlier than you think you need to. Or, set your clocks back 15 minutes!
Use a stopwatch when you begin a common task, such as getting ready for school, and stop the timer when the task is finished. Soon you will have a “time list” of things you routinely do, and you will have a much better idea of how long things really take, instead of how long you think they will take.
Have an accountability partner. If you tend to put things off, recruit a friend, teacher, parent, or colleague to help keep you accountable. Ask them if they wouldn’t mind just checking in on you at particular intervals during the task. You can return the favour for them, too!
Set reminders. Ten minutes before something that is time-sensitive, such as a meeting or class change, set an alarm so that you have time to finish what you’re doing and refocus. Maybe set a second one for two minutes before in case you get sucked back in!
Break it down. Sometimes we do not get started on something because the task seems overwhelming. You can break it into stages and just take the first step before taking a break for a few minutes. Often once you have started, you will keep going for a lot longer than you thought.
Build in rewards. Incentivise tasks by having a reward for when you’ve finished. For a big task, have small rewards for completing stages, too.
Make it fun. A boring task will not stimulate the ADHD brain enough for it to get started. But you can make it more interesting. Try creating a competition with yourself or others; how many items can you tidy away in ten minutes? If you have a lot of housework to do, put on a favorite album and sing or dance along while you work.
Warm-up. It is difficult for the ADHD brain to shift gears from one activity to another, which can make it hard to get started. A warm-up routine can help get you in the right mindset. Start with something simple and pleasant (a cup of tea, for example), include some physical movement to help stimulate the brain (such as stretches), and do it exactly the same way each time to create a strong association between the actions and the task.
Stay on top of chores. Use your Bullet Journal to create a housework chart, dividing all the tasks so you don’t get overwhelmed when suddenly it all needs doing at once. Designate a block of time every day just for housework.
Create an “important stuff” box. Use a cardboard box the lid cut off. Decorate and label it with all the important items you need to take whenever you leave the house, then keep those items in there. Put it by the front door.
Delegate, outsource, or automate chores. Divide up the chores so you aren’t the only person in the house doing them. If you live alone, or if chores are still too much, consider hiring a cleaner or doing your food shopping online for delivery. Automate things such as bill payments.
Make a “go bag” the night before. The evening before school or work, pack your bag with all the items you need for the following day. Lay out your clothes the night before, too. That way, there will be no rushing around looking for items when you’re meant to leave.
Ask for lists. Ask your teacher or boss for full lists of items needed for homework or work projects. That way, you will go home with all the things you need to complete your work.
Keep a notebook handy for the unexpected. For example, you’re told of a timetable change, a special event, or the need to bring a different P.E. kit to normal. You won’t be wondering later what it was you needed to remember.
Create a desk diagram. Draw out how your desk should look, organised just how you want it. For the first and last ten minutes of the day, make sure your desk looks like the diagram. This way, your workspace won’t get overwhelmed with clutter and you’ll be able to easily find what you need to get things done.
Finally… The harmful results that can often occur due to our impaired Activation of executive function can be mitigated or avoided with support. Join me next time as we look at Focus. Learn why we often have trouble with focusing, sustaining, and shifting our attention, the ways that affect us, and powerful solutions to help. See you there!