any ways to improve my executive functioning skills?

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Are there any ways to improve my executive functioning skills?


i have very poor executive functioning skills. i know there is occupational therapy for this and im on a waiting list for this on OT since late september. but its a very bussy person and sure the younger kids get priority in these situations ( im 20)

i was wondering is there anything i can do on my own? like online games ( preferably free online games) or brain exercises i can do

I would like to know the same thing
Mine are deplorable.
gads....
Adderall..red bull...coffee....brain herbs....omegas....nothing helps.....

I am definitely struggling with this.

I'm working at trying to keep house. I'm actually good at cleaning - but suck at maintaining/keeping a routine so it is like I'll do a massive clean every couple of weeks - and it never looks clean.

I took some stuff from flylady.com to try to help. My main issue with the site, though, is that despite having fantastic core concepts, the style and the writer are a massive turnoff.

So, I take the advice, rewrite it in my own words, and use those instead of directly using the web site. Seriously, check out the FAQs. Things like "purple puddles" just do not speak to me, on any level.

The key seems to be adding a very very little at a time, and doing your best to avoid mentally punishing yourself - as this will make you less likely to try again. I know that I'm my own worst enemy in this situation - I get so frustrated with myself and forget that there is a reason that I am this way, and it has nothing to do with me being lazy.

Good luck.

yeah Flylady! Flylady has stopped my life from being complete and utter chaos. Flylady is why my bathroom is actually okay and my house is actually quite clean, even if it does look like a small tornado went through.

I can't follow the website and the email tasks, I got the book and rewrote the routines, and I got a shaking timer which I can wear on my wrist.

HTH

My executive functioning has been helped enormously by an increased daily dose of slow-release methylphenidate, which I take over weekends as well. I am on about 70 mg per day (+ an extra 10 mg for top-up sometimes). This is in line with the Canadian recommended dose for people with my diagnosis. My anxiety (I have something similar to bipolar, the result of struggling along undiagnosed for so many years) has also been lowered to a noticeable degree by being in a position to make better judgements as a result of this (although I must add that I am using various other therapies too, not just chemical).

It doesn't work for everyone, though. About one-fifth of people who take it don't do well on it, and may develop symptoms such as depression.

For me, it helps to establish routines. I started with some basic goals

"I will get out of bed by 6 a.m. - even on weekends."
"I will go to the gym for at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week."
"I will go to bed every night by midnight." (I'm still working on this one)

In between, I pretty much schedule my entire day. (Variations from my schedule can cause some anxiety - but as long as I have a bit of notice, I can roll with the changes.)

I don't try to fix my entire life at once - and sometimes I have to modify goals. So rather than continue to fail at a desired goal, I pick an intermediate goal that will be easier to keep.

1. Ritalin
2. Lists

I really need to sit down and make a routine in my head and plan my days so I am not sitting behind the computer screen all day.

My husband and I buy the same stuff in stores and sometimes we will see something spontaneously we like and get it.

I let my husband decide for me. He asked me the other night what I wanted for dinner and I said "I don't know, I hate decisions, don't ask me." I know I should sit down and plan my meals everyday or what I am going to eat but I am always too lazy to do all this because I find it overwhelming to think and make plans. Same as going out to get stuff done and it can take me a few weeks to finally do it. I even tend to wait till the last minute to pay my bills or order more folic acids medicine.


I was more in line when I was pregnant because my baby was so important, I was less lazy.

Who_Am_I wrote:

Currently I am using a cell phone with alarms to remind me to eat and sleep. It seems to be helping. I'm an hour past bedtime now but will likely be able to get to bed within fifteen minutes--a great deal better than my usual track record.

The trick for me, with the phone, was to actually wear the phone on a belt pouch all day every day. Otherwise it would be left behind, and the alarms ignored.

Don't really recommend brain exercises or any of that. It's quite unproven; the best way to learn something is to practice it directly, even if you have to start with very, very small steps.

thanks for bringing this topic up. it's nice to know there's a technical term for this, as I've been using "my s**t is broke" for altogether too long. i've been floundering around for a long time, not being able to "get my s**t together" and have some "common sense" as my father tells me.

i was fired from a job for a "lack of organizational skills" earlier this year, so I guess i need to look into this too to make some improvements, as I haven't been able to find a job since i got let go (9 months now). at least I know what to ask for in trying to get some help.