While I don’t have executive dysfunction as such, I do have trouble focusing on exactly what I’m going to be doing and how I’m going to go about doing it.
My best solution has been to bundle tasks together--getting several things done at once, usually with the aid of a paper list--in a sequence that makes sense to me. I call it a “wallamaddit” (while I’m at it).
-I pour a bowl of cereal, but there isn’t any milk. I’ll go to Dollar General and get milk, although that’ll be like $3.
-Or, I also have a paycheck to deposit, so if I go all the way up to the bank, I can go to the Kroger by the bank for milk that’s about $2.
-And while I’m up that way and have money, I should stop by the thrift store and get a few more pairs of work pants.
-I’ll get hungry by then, so I’ll eat a Clif bar now, and since that was my last Clif bar I’ll pick up some more at Kroger.
Bam. I just solved 4 different things that are pressing on me by “wallamaddit”-ing and got it all done in about 2 hours.
-There is a stack of textbooks that are still on my floor from when I finished homeschooling in 8th grade. I’m taking them to the recycling bin.
-That’s near the calendar, so while I’m at it, I’ll stop by the calendar and write down my schedule for work and for helping in the church nursery.
-The calendar is close enough to the kitchen that while I’m at it, I’ll drop off the dirty dishes from my room by the sink.
-And since I can hear that my dad’s in the kitchen, I’ll take him the flashlight that he was looking for and I found in my room.
Usually I only do 4 or 5 things at once, because that’s my brain’s limit. Of course it’s not foolproof--I should be writing a paper right now, or finishing a crochet project for a friend’s birthday--but I’m writing this to share with other people as a viable solution, and I’m writing to celebrate that I found a solution for me.
