Executive Functions and They Matter for anyone with ADHD?

ADHD ManagementMental Health AwarenessProductivityExecutive Functions

23 Oct

If you've ever wondered why some tasks feel way harder than they should or why staying focused is such a struggle, it's time to talk about executive functions.

These are the skills that help us manage our time, plan, focus, and get things done. For those of us with ADHD, executive functions can often feel like a big mystery. Today, we’re going to break down what executive functions are, how they affect our daily lives, and why understanding them is so important for building a life that works for us, not against us.

What are Executive Functions?

Executive functions are like the brain’s project management team. They’re responsible for planning, organising, prioritising, and remembering details - basically, everything you need to get through the day smoothly. Dr. Russell Barkley, a (the?) leading ADHD researcher who has now retired, calls executive functions the 'brain’s management system,' kind of like an air traffic control tower. When everything runs smoothly, tasks get done without much trouble. But for people with ADHD, this control tower often has a hard time keeping up.

There are many essential parts of our executive functioning, including:

- Working Memory: This is your brain’s ability to hold information temporarily and use it. It helps you remember instructions or keep details in mind while solving a problem. For people with ADHD, working memory can feel like a leaky bucket—information slips away before you can use it.

- Impulse Control: This helps you think before you act. When impulse control is weak, it can lead to things like interrupting conversations, making quick decisions without thinking them through, or jumping into a new project before finishing the last one.

- Cognitive Flexibility: This is your ability to adapt to new situations or switch tasks easily. If cognitive flexibility is a challenge, you might feel 'stuck' when plans change or find it hard to switch from one task to another.

- Emotional Regulation: Executive functions also help you manage emotions. If you often feel like your emotions quickly get out of control over small things, this is part of the struggle with emotional regulation in ADHD.

Why Executive Functions Are Challenging for ADHD Brains

For people with ADHD, these executive skills don’t come easily. A big reason for this is how our brains process dopamine. Dopamine is known as the 'motivation molecule' - it helps us feel rewarded and motivated to complete tasks. ADHD brains often have lower levels of dopamine as our transporter cells remove (reuptake) the dopamine before we get the task finished OR produce less OR are less sensitive, which makes everyday tasks like paying bills or cleaning feel especially hard - they don’t provide enough of a dopamine boost to get us motivated. There are lots of ways that dopamine is affected by different aspects of ADHD neurology.

A study by Volkow et al. (2009) showed that changes in dopamine pathways in ADHD brains make it harder to start or finish tasks that don’t have an immediate payoff. This explains why long-term projects or boring tasks can seem impossible .

““The brighter people struggle with the disorder longer, they’re not believed, nobody can think they got as far as they did and have ADHD. And therefore, it’s dismissed or trivialised... just do something trivial; none of which by the way works.

But the issue here then is they will eventually crash. It just takes longer for that crash to happen. It might be college, where we find only about 10% of people with ADHD can complete a college program vs 40% of the population. And it has nothing to do with brilliance, intelligence or knowledge.

It’s the demands a college makes on executive functioning and self-regulation [that] are enormous and unless they get special help at college, they’re usually out within one to two semesters. They just can’t handle the demands.””

— Dr Russell Barkley (Video Interview)

How Executive Dysfunction Affects Daily Life

Imagine trying to cook a complicated meal without a recipe, a timer, or the right ingredients. That’s what daily life can feel like when executive functions aren’t working well. Here are some really common ways this can show up:

- Task Initiation: Starting tasks, especially ones that are big or boring, can feel impossible. You know what you need to do, but you just can't seem to start.

- Organisation and Prioritisation: Keeping track of what’s most important can feel overwhelming. Many people with ADHD get lost in to-do lists because every item seems equally urgent.

- Following Through: Starting projects can be easy when you’re motivated, but finishing them is a different story. As the initial excitement fades, it’s hard to stay focused and get the job done.

The worse we feel the harder it becomes to DO anything

The impact of executive dysfunction is ‘compounding’ when we add stories and beliefs about it being a weakness, failure or other problem we are choosing, instead of a physical aspect of our brain. Like trying to shame ourselves for wearing glasses…

The way you feel about yourself…

One of the hardest parts of dealing with executive dysfunction is how it affects your self-esteem. When you constantly struggle with what others seem to do easily, it’s easy to feel like you’re not trying hard enough or that you’re failing. But it’s really important to understand that this is unrelated to your effort - it’s just the way your brain works. The longer we believe we just need to try. harder, the more damage this can do to our self-image.

Research by Castellanos et al. (2002) showed that the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for many of these executive tasks, has structural differences in people with ADHD. This affects how we plan, organise, and control our emotions, which explains why these tasks can feel much harder. Another study by Soros et al (2019) showed that while adults with ADHD share similar brain network structures with average non-ADHD adults, variations in functional connectivity are associated with age and the severity of hyperactivity symptoms. The striatum's increased connectivity in those with more severe hyperactivity highlighted its role in ADHD's neural origin. So even if some people claim our brains are the same (and it’s down to additives, or phones, or reading novels (joke for the Austen fans) or some other modern plague) it’s really not. We can see the differences at a functional level.

Understanding this and being able to explain it to others can help us stop blaming ourselves and start finding strategies that work.

Strategies for Supporting Executive Function Challenges

The good news is that once you understand where your executive function challenges lie, you can start creating strategies to support yourself. Here are some approaches that have helped many people with ADHD:

1. Externalize Information: Use planners, whiteboards, or sticky notes to get information out of your head and into a visual form. Working memory can be supported by reminders you can see and refer to.

“Humans process information VERY quickly when it is visual.* How we like to present things can be varied but in general, the simpler it is, the faster we understand. My favourite low-fi technique is literally a stack of post its that become individual tasks and then are moved around a board of my day or week.”

2. Gamify Tasks: If your brain needs more dopamine, make boring tasks more fun. Create a points system or reward yourself after doing something difficult. Even small rewards can help you stay motivated.

“This can feel like torture or fun depending on how much you follow Rule 6 (Ben Zander’s Art of Possibility). Rule 6 is “Don’t take yourself so seriously”. It’s hard to create the game/fun element if we are trapped in an idea that we have to take things seriously to achieve anything. I’d argue the opposite. The more FUN and the LIGHTER we hold things, the easier they are, the more we achieve.”

3. Break Tasks Down: Big tasks can be overwhelming, so break them into smaller steps. Each step you complete gives your brain a little dopamine boost, which helps you build momentum.

“The secret is that it has to be SO SMALL you can’t fail. When we think about doing things, we jump right to the stage where we are DOING the thing. The first step is actually thinking about it - the next is believing we can get STARTED. Only then should we be taking a small action.”

4. Body Doubling: Work alongside another person, either in person or virtually. Having someone else there can make a big difference in staying focused because it adds accountability. Studies show that co-working can boost productivity for people with ADHD by reducing distractions.

“Body doubling can be in person, online or just by phone/text. There are so many services that you can use now offering this, it’s worth trying a few to see what you like: camera on/off? music? chat? If you find it hard to do work in your home or office, you can get someone to work alongside you, especially for the really challenging tasks like decluttering or organising.”

SUMMARY:

Executive functions are like the command centre of your brain, and when you have ADHD, that command center can feel like it’s missing some key tools. But understanding where your challenges are is the first step to building a life that works for you, not against you. Remember, if “trying harder” was the answer, you’d already have done it. Instead, try to find strategies that match how your brain works.

If you found this helpful and want to learn more about how to create personalised strategies for managing executive dysfunction, consider joining my Function Junction course. It’s designed to help you take control, build sustainable systems, and thrive with ADHD. You’re not alone in this journey, and with the right support, you can build a life that feels more manageable and fulfilling.

Find out about Function Junction Course

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