How to Use Your Executive Function Profile to Support Productivity

ADHD ManagementMental Health AwarenessProductivityExecutive FunctionsPersonal Development

24 Oct

When it comes to getting things done, understanding how your brain works can make an enormous difference. For people with ADHD, the key often lies in understanding your executive function profile—essentially, figuring out which mental skills are your strengths and which ones are more challenging.

Today, we’re going to explore how you can use your executive function profile to boost productivity and start making progress in a way that works for you, not against you.

What is an Executive Function Profile?

An executive function profile is like a personalised map of how your brain handles tasks like planning, focusing, and managing emotions. Executive functions are skills that help us stay organized, control impulses, and remember important information. By understanding your executive function profile, you can see where you shine and where you need more support.

For example, you might have strong working memory, which means you can remember instructions easily, but struggle with impulse control, which makes it hard to stay focused on one task at a time. Knowing this can help you figure out which strategies to use for different situations.

Why Understanding Your Executive Function Profile Matters

For people with ADHD, productivity isn’t just about trying harder—it’s about trying smarter. A study by Willcutt et al. (2005) showed that people with ADHD often have different levels of strength across executive functions, which means that what works for one person might not work for another. By understanding your unique profile, you can start to develop systems that support your specific needs.

How to Use Your Executive Function Profile to Boost Productivity

Once you know where your strengths and challenges are, you can start using strategies that actually work with your brain. Here are some tips based on different executive function skills:

Productivity is such a challenge for MANY of us with ADHD

Our ADHD means that our productivity is going to look different from the ‘straight line’ that is expected in the average workplace. Understanding the impact of variable capacity, focus, having options for high and low energy, high and low attention days will make a big difference to our emotional regulation: which THEN affects our executive function.

1. If You Struggle with Task Initiation

Task initiation is all about getting started on something.

If this is a challenge for you, try body doubling - working alongside someone else. This can help create a sense of support and energy being directed towards a common goal, which can make starting a task feel less overwhelming. You can also use the 5-minute visit, where you tell yourself you only need to start on something for 5 minutes. Often, starting is the hardest part, and once you get going, it’s easier to keep going.

If even that is too much, we need to unpack where the ‘block’ is - do you need to shake off that energy, do you need to dance it out, do you need to process your feelings about the task?

2. If You Have Trouble with Working Memory

Working memory is like your brain’s sticky notes. If you have trouble holding onto information, practice externalising it. Using sticky notes, a planner, or a whiteboard to keep track of important information so you don’t have to remember it all in your head. This helps free up mental energy and makes it easier to focus on the task at hand.

“The key is to have a single source of truth - that can be your Apple Notes, it can be your bullet journal where you stick the notes in, it can be an app like Miro - understand how you process information and then turn it into your signature method for your second brain.”

3. If Emotional Regulation Is a Challenge

Emotional regulation helps you stay calm and focused, even when things are frustrating.

If this is hard for you, there are different ways to practice mindfulness and alternative breathing techniques. These strategies can help reduce the emotional impact of challenging situations and make it easier to stay on track.

“Be aware that if you have experienced trauma, there are times when mindfulness and alternative breathing techniques are unsuitable without the guidance or support of a qualified counsellor.
At the same time, we can all practice being grounded in this very moment with a single breath - literally focusing on one inhalation and how it feels in our bodies.”

4. Break Tasks Down (yes, again!):

Big tasks can be overwhelming, learning to break them down into smaller steps is an essential skill. 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.”

5. If You Struggle with Cognitive Flexibility

Cognitive flexibility is your ability to switch between tasks or adapt to new situations.

If you have trouble with this, add the practice of building transition time into your schedule. For example, if you’re switching from one big project to another, take a 5-minute break to reset. Use this time to do something simple like stretching, which can help your brain adjust to the change. Make sure that you are giving yourself enough of a warning so that you’re not giving yourself a ‘fright’ (cognitively or physically) when a timer comes up unexpectedly.

Building Your Personalised Productivity System

Using your executive function profile isn’t just about knowing your weaknesses - it’s also about leveraging your strengths. If you’re great at planning, use that to your advantage by creating detailed action steps for projects. If you’re more impulsive but struggle with organisation, use that impulsiveness to dive into new ideas, but make sure you have systems in place - like a daily checklist or a body double - to keep you grounded and organised.

The Benefits of Working with Your Brain, Not Against It

The main benefit of understanding your executive function profile is that it helps you stop feeling like you’re constantly failing. You’re not lazy or unmotivated - your brain just works differently. By knowing which strategies help you stay productive, you can reduce frustration and build a system that helps you feel successful.

A study by Toplak et al. (2013) found that people who understand their executive function strengths and weaknesses are better able to develop effective coping strategies. This means that once you understand how your brain works, you can use that knowledge to set realistic expectations for yourself and create a path forward that feels achievable.

Productivity for people with ADHD is all about finding what works for you, not forcing yourself to fit into a system that wasn’t designed for your brain. By understanding your executive function profile, you can create a personalised approach that helps you work with your brain, not against it.

Remember, you’re not alone in this journey, and with the right strategies, you can find ways to be productive in your way that feel natural and sustainable.

IIf you’re ready to dive deeper into building a productivity system that works for you, check out my Function Junction course. where we go step-by-step into understanding your brain and creating tools that fit your life. Let’s build a life that works, one strategy at a time.

Find out about Function Junction Course

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