Executive Functioning Tips and Tricks
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We've talked a lot about productivity tips over the years, but I don't think we've ever explicitly discussed executive functioning — what it is, and what executive functioning tips and tricks and supports might look like.
I don't know why, but I never heard about executive function skills until recently — possibly within the past five years — but after I understood what they were, it felt like I suddenly understood a lot of my own issues with time management, focus, and so forth. (I may or may not have ADHD; I was diagnosed with it a while ago but I've never been medicated for it. Maybe we'll write a post on adult ADHD diagnoses later! Just FYI, there is also a separate diagnosis, Executive Function Disorder.)
{related: how to make the most of your productive times}
First, from Verywell Mind, here's a great description of what executive functioning skills are — Healthline has another great description. From Verywell:
Executive function is a set of cognitive skills that are needed for self-control and managing behaviors. These skills include self-control, working memory, and mental flexibility. Such functions allow people to do things like follow directions, focus, control emotions, and attain goals.
The executive functions’ role is similar to a conductor’s role within an orchestra. The conductor manages, directs, organizes, and integrates each member of the orchestra. They cue each musician so they know when to begin to play, and how fast or slow, loud or soft to play, and when to stop playing. Without the conductor, the music would not flow as smoothly or sound as beautiful.
There are different kinds of executive function skills, and I thought it might be interesting today to talk about some that we use in daily life. Readers, what do you do to help your own executive functioning go smoothly? Do you think of them as productivity tips, coping mechanisms, or something else?
Psst… stay tuned for some of our favorite tools to help us manage our time, focus, and otherwise stay productive!
My Executive Functioning Tips and Tricks
Some of the little things I do to make it easier to focus, stay on top of time, and limit time spent on bad behavior (like screen time) include:
Tricks for Remembering Appointments and Time Management
- When I make an appointment in my calendar (for a call, a doctor's visit, a night out with friends, whatever), I set up numerous notifications: one 10 minutes before I should be leaving, one four hours before I should be leaving, and often one a day or two in advance.
- We sometimes use our Echo to keep track of repeating appointments — for a while we had it going off every school day, 10 minutes before the kids had to leave for school. One of my kids has a virtual appointment on Mondays at 10:30 a.m. that I kept forgetting, so Alexa now goes off every Monday at 10:25.
- I hate making calls, so for things like doctor visits, haircuts, and other appointments, I try to schedule my next one before leaving.
- I stink at enforcing my own bedtime, so I recently set a profile for myself on Circle, which we use to limit the kids' screen time. It now essentially turns off WiFi on my phone and iPad at 10:30 at night. It's nice because I know what time it happens, and when it does, it inevitably is like, YUP, I know I SHOULD go to bed right now, so this is a good thing. I've also heard of people doing this by attaching their router to a timed outlet, which is definitely cheaper, but I would worry about having to set everything up again.
{related: how to manage your time}
Ways I Try to Improve My Focus
- I turn my mouse over (like a turtle) to subconsciously remind myself to stay on the task I'm doing on the computer
- I set timers to focus for X amount of time — and I am only allowed to do the ONE thing. Sometimes I end up staring off into space, but a lot of times I get focused work done. (We've talked about the Pomodoro method before!)
- I take notes, even if it's for something casual like a Zoom call with friends — it helps keep my attention from wandering.
- As I've noted before in our post on how to improve your focus when you work from home, using a Bluetooth keyboard with your iPhone helps by limiting distractions — only one tab is open and it's a pain to switch tasks.
{related: five ways to improve your focus}
Planning So I Don't Have to Think About Things
- I schedule or automate repeating tasks whenever possible because otherwise I lose track of them. You'll recognize this with my suggestions to automate your savings and set up automatic investments — but, for example, I also look at Corporette analytics on the first of the month, and not any other time.
- Our smart home appliances work like this — I often lose track of time and realize it's totally dark around me; we have lights set to go on automatically 30 minutes before sunset. (Some go off at 8:30 p.m. when we start winding down; some go off when we head to bed.)
- For me I also need to plan dinners a week in advance — otherwise it's my husband and me looking at each other at 5:15 saying, “Uh…. pizza? Eggs?”
- Sometimes I need to break down things into the smallest tasks possible because I get overwhelmed needing to do the whole thing. A major one-item task on my checklist will sit for months, but if I break that task down to 30 smaller tasks it's more doable.
- I “batch tasks” wherever possible — if I have three phone calls to make, I try to make them all in one sitting.
- I like Gretchen Rubin‘s idea of the “power hour.” All those little tasks you don't want to do? Commit to spending one hour getting them done.
Something I haven't gotten into too much (but would love to hear your tips if you have them, readers!) is the “decision fatigue” or “limited spoons” theory — the idea that you have limited brainpower and so you should save it by doing intentional tasks. I suppose my repetitive lunches do this (I'm having eggs unless I actively don't want them); the idea of putting an outfit on autopilot (Zuckerberg's gray hoodie, Obama's navy suits) is also along these lines.
Readers, are you familiar with the concept of executive function skills? Do you recognize some of your own struggles in there? What are your own executive functioning tips and tricks to help get things done?
Some of our latest favorite books on productivity, below:
So I was about to post this on the previous post, but it seems like a better fit here:
Would you consider it very rude if someone is checking their email, scheduling meetings etc during a zoom call? I am paying attention to the call and getting a lot out of it, but I had a previous job (during the pandemic) where I was so busy that I always did routine tasks during large calls, and now I’m just in the habit of doing that. It actually helps me stay focused on the call and not get bored overall, its like a side-task that gets my ADHD-ness out while I have to sit on the call.
I do try to avoid sending any emails or invites to people I’m on the call with.
I think it does come across as rude. My guideline is that Zoom is like a business meeting, not a phone call. If you couldn’t do it during a meeting, you shouldn’t do it by Zoom. I do prefer phone calls for that reason. . . :)
What’s the difference between a phone call and a zoom meeting? Honestly the two have become rather interchangeable to me, especially since we use Zoom to call people anyways. In normal times, wouldn’t doing this while being on the phone in your office be equally rude?
You don’t SEE it. It’s all optics, but optics matter in a business setting. It’s as rude to do it on a call, but no one can tell.
You don’t see it on a Zoom call either, depends on how you do it, as Anon @ 1:15 explained.
It’s usually pretty obvious. Even if the tech is working for you, you aren’t doing the microexpressions that make it seem like you’re engaged. The nods, smiles, etc.
I cannot believe someone is actually asking what’s the difference between multitasking on a phone call vs multitasking on Zoom.
Do it in a way that isn’t obvious. I put my Surface in front of my laptop monitor. I use the Surface to Zoom. I then look at the monitor behind me to delete/file emails while on the call if I’m not the one actively talking. I make sure I’m on mute so no typing is heard.
I don’t understand how this works – how are you looking at the monitor behind you if it’s covered by the Surface? I may be a little dense here.
The Surface monitor is lower and smaller than the computer monitor. I can look over the top of it. The camera is on the top so it looks like I’m staring into the camera.
I’d say it’s super rude unless you can do it so people can’t tell you’re doing it. (Spoiler alert: If your camera is on, they can tell you’re doing it.)
If you don’t need to be paying attention to the call, why are you on the call in the first place?
Which of these phrases made you think that I don’t need to pay attention to the call?
“I am paying attention to the call”, “getting a lot out of it”, “helps me stay focused”
I do need to pay attention and be there, but also people like to talk!
You sound like my teenager. Yes, mom, I am paying attention to my homework while I am also watching TV. No, mom, I wasn’t distracted. That assignment was totally supposed to take 12 hours instead of an hour.
Yeah totally! I laughed at this one….
Because middle management needs to invent reasons to seem useful, and senior SMEs are allowed to wistfully monologue, and nobody is held accountable for timely responses thus requiring forcing the issue via meeting. You know, working in an office job.
I do this all the time if the meeting isn’t especially important. I like to multitask as I listen.
There is no such thing as multitasking. There’s just switching back and forth between multiple tasks. If you are doing something else, you’re not really listening. Either participate fully or don’t participate at all. For an extreme example of why you shouldn’t multitask during Zoom calls, see today’s NYT headline re. plastic surgeon who wanted to participate in remote traffic court trial from the operating room with a patient on the table.
Multitasking has been proven, over and over, to not work very effectively. I guarantee that you’re not fully listening if you’re checking email and doing other tasks.
This post is about executive functioning. People with ADHD and other executive functioning disorders have brains that work differently. If my brain isn’t “stimulated” it doesn’t work. If I just took notes in my law school class I’d absorb about 35% of it. If I alternated w/ FB to keep myself awake, I absorbed closer to 70% of the lecture. If my brain isn’t stimulated, it just completely zones out.
Actually, people with executive functioning disorders are even less able to multitask. https://psychcentral.com/blog/adhd-millennial/2017/06/are-people-with-adhd-worse-at-multitasking#2
Yeah, I get how ADHD works.
Seriously….. did your cognitive psychologist tell you this?
I look forward to reading the publication on that.
When we first started using the word “multi-tasking” it meant your computer could run more than one program at a time…
Aren’t you people in meetings where you are only really needed for a few parts of it, and where other people are spending long periods talking about issues that don’t concern/involve you? I’m on those all the time. Of course I multi-task; it would be absurd not to.
It’s usually pretty obvious on telephone conference calls, too. People THINK they are smoother than they are, but pauses mid-sentence or delayed responses give them away. To try to focus, take notes. If something unrelated pops into your head, just jot a note to yourself to follow-up after the meeting.
Try doing something else with your hands like knitting or doodling or taking notes – you can still be and look engaged with the meeting but Los get the fidgets out. I think there is research to indicate these approaches make you more focused, not less.
For all of us with executive processing issues – PLEASE use name tags at events. I love that everyone’s name is always showing on their Zoom. I don’t have to spend a minute re-remembering the name. I have a harder time recalling names when I am nervous so I need to have all parties and all attorneys names written out before any hearing lest I go blank.
When I became in charge of a local networking group, I instituted name tags. So many people emailed me thanking me. Even if you meet someone monthly, it’s easy to confuse their names between meetings.
Oh, man, no kidding! If I had my way everybody would have nametags all the time! (Also I am a visual learner so if I see you with a name tag once, I’m much more likely to remember it thereafter.)
Having everyone’s names showing on Zoom calls has been so helpful to me as I started a new job during the pandemic and have yet to meet any of my colleagues in person.
Yes, agree! When I was younger, I was really good at remembering faces and names. Now my mind is much busier, as is my life, and nametags are a lifesaver. (If I have that visual cue, I’m more likely to remember it later.)
One trick I used pre-pandemic was if someone introduced themselves, I’d ask for their card. That gave me the visual clue and I could look back at it either throughout the meeting or before a future meeting.
I’m raising a kiddo who has ADHD, so most of my experience with learning about executive functioning is because I need to help teach him these skills!
My personal bugaboo is decision fatigue and just plain ‘ol mental fatigue coupled with a dash of anxiety. I know exactly what needs to be done, and when, but it frustrates me to no end when I can’t get my tail in gear. The Pomodoro timer definitely helps, and I love the power hour idea.
I worked with a life coach that taught me to give myself grace. The shame spiral from a non-productive day would lead me to a non-productive week. Now I just tell myself, okay, you are tired, you have a headache, you are just going to get through today. You aren’t doing your best and that’s okay. Tomorrow is a new day.
I make a lot of lists.