Dang Executive Function - How do you manage?

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I always thought I could do any task, plan (I love planning), and execute. And I know there are many things I can do well.

BUT.... after I moved to our new home in 2015, I have not been able to get myself organized. Soon after we moved, I had a concussion with balance issues, headaches, etc. took me a year to recover. Then after I recovered, I started having heart issues, which took all my energy away.

So I never really finished unpacking, and certain areas are just not as organized as I need them to be in order for me to not stress out.

I start a routine and start to organize, etc. then something changes in the routine or a visitor arrives (mother in law stayed for about 3 months this Summer) and there goes my progress and routine. Now I can’t seem to get back on track.

How does your executive dysfunction affect you and how do you manage it?

I used to not realise how bad mine was as in lower levels of education I could get away with cramming everything I needed into my bag and waltzing into school. Now I'm at college I really feel it. For me it means I am either really early or late, leaving me sleep deprived as for some reason due to my inability to grasp the passing of time etc. I'm only capable of turning up 2 hours early or 10-30 minutes late. I forget when assignments are due or often do assignments but for the wrong days meaning some of my stuff is super ahead and other assignments are at least a week late. I also often mix up what needs to be brought in.

I am not perfect yet but I at least mostly bring in the right things now. Visualising what I need to do is what has helped me with that as it helps me realise what things I have forgotten. Plus fiddling around and seeing what scheduling things help me the most. Physical things like calendars in books are useless to me so I put everything on my phone with repeated reminders. I also have issues with making decisions so when there is a scheduling thing that requires that, I may ask someone else to choose for me.

For a long time, I lived out of boxes, I was so tired of having to move and setting up again. I have an extensive workshop with thousands of tools and bits of material, so there is a large mental investment in remembering where it all goes. When I moved here, I tried to help my memory by arranging things as they were as much as possible in different rooms. That had a bad side effect of reminding me of having to move. After long experience, I've gradually re-arranged things to work better after seeing how they have been used here. This has involved adding shelves and other storage.
For other things, I have found it helpful to make lists, such as the checklist for a trip to the city so I don't waste it, or get stuck. Time management has been a real bear, since my work is seldom routine. Recently, I had good results by setting daily goals based on recent history on the project, without being too dogmatic about it. Breaking the project down into daily bites helped make each hour seem worthwhile.

Like Ivpin, I use my phone to remind me of things. It's just Google Calendar, so no apps I had to pay for. I'm in the habit of looking at it morning and night just to see what's coming up. The most important thing to do, though, is input events in the first place. There's no point if that's not done.

When I went to uni, I was hopeless at getting assignments done on time. Marks were lost because of this. By my second year, however, I started doing assignments as soon as I got them and it turned out to be less stressful. Losing marks was a good catalyst for working straight away and not procrastinating.

You said something like you get to college either very early or late? Packing your bag the night before you go to class can help. Also, setting various alarms in the morning before you leave may help you get to where you need to go at a reasonable time.

I try to simplify my life as much as I can, to conserve mental energy. Stick to daily routines as much as possible, and use lists and reminder notes for anything non-routine. Do large tasks a little at a time so they won't be as tiring. Self care such as trying to get daily exercise and enough sleep helps a lot.

As many of you said, simplifying is key. Yesterday my family and I cleaned up the house mess and my anxiety level went from an 8 to a 3. As the house got less messy, I felt like I could do more without as many rest breaks and could think clearly about what I needed to do next.

As I’m still unboxing things and organizing, I need to keep that in mind. I will really feel better in the end, when everything finds a home and when there is a home for everything. It’s not just a silly idea in my head.

The house being all messy and things out of place do not affect my husband in any way. So he can’t relate. But luckily, after all this revelation with the diagnosis process, he now understands that messy rooms disorganize my brain and I don’t function as well if I’m surrounded by it.

I never realized how bad my executive function is until I entered college. I can't take more than 9 or 10 hours because of it.