Executive Functioning Issues

[wanderer03]

Oh I that would get on my nerves too.

It's a corporate shuttle and they pay my bus company good money so I have to put on the best possible face. Come Friday afternoon, I'm plum worn out.

 

[Warmheart]

I think scaling our lives back, streamlining our lives so we have fewer appointments, fewer meetings, etc. and create buffer-zones of time around any social interactions, all help us rebound so our executive functioning can be at it's best.
The times when I have struggled most with executive functioning is when I was most busy & had the most social interactions.
The times my executive function has done best was when I had fewer activities/obligations and fewer social interactions-- or built in a buffer zone of time to recover after each social interaction.
Increasing exercise helps.
Increasing stimming helps.
Hydration helps.
Getting good sleep-- especially between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am-- really helps.
Fish, as well as fish oil, in my diet helps.
LOTS of recovery solitude helps.
Long stretches of unstructured free time helps with recovery after appointments/meetings which produce social energy drain.
Just my experiences regarding executive functioning levels.

 

[Rob]

I'm looking for strategies and advice for overcoming difficulties with executive functioning. By executive functioning, I mean financial matters like budgeting, keeping a balanced checkbook, planning, etc. I need something really simple because these matters tend to be meltdown triggers for me. This is also a source of embarrassment for me because I can do some really high end stuff with electronics and radio, yet seemingly basic executive functioning feels like the impossible task.

I feel the need to build this skillset as I am rapidly watching full time jobs turn into independent contractor positions. I fear the relative simplicity of having a paycheck that I can count on might be going away.

I myself have a lot of trouble with executive functioning myself. I have an accordion file folder where you can put all kinds of bills and statements for phone bills, electrical payments, utilities, etc. You might also try an Excel spreadsheet to make a simple template to organize your bills into accounts you could put in each row of the spreadsheet.

As for myself I have to apply for another job, so I will have to get a resume going and apply online. My current cashier job at Chevron will be gone in a couple of months.

I basically never bother with balancing a checkbook unless you are definitely going to run a business for yourself. An Excel spreadsheet can be helpful for you to itemize each cheque, list where the payments are going, and compare with the bills you have in your accordion folder. Keep it next to your computer to make the work easier and more efficient.

I hope this helps.

 

[shinkansen]

I'm looking for strategies and advice for overcoming difficulties with executive functioning.

I can relate to your comments.

I'm hopeless with executive functioning and the related issue of working memory. When it comes to managing a project or multiple tasks, it's all to easy to mess up. Either because you lack the necessary skills, filled overwhelmed or just try and ignore the problem.

You may want to consider some sort of spreadsheet to organise your finances. I use one to manage my money. You may already be doing this, so decide if you want to manage your money every week or every month. (I do weekly). So you need to calculate your weekly income and give yourself a weekly budget. I divide my budget into two (1) fixed outgoings like rent, local property tax, gas, electricity, phone (2) things I can manage like food, clothes, shopping. For things I can manage, I write down everything I spend and put into the spreadsheet. Then I can see if I'm sticking to my budget. It's a chore, but it also such a central feature of my routines, that I'm always in control of my money.

As others have said, use your diary for everything: subscriptions, fixed monthly outgoings, recurring bills.

As for big stuff which might overwhelm you, try to break it down it to manageable tasks. I've come to realise that I'm much better at step-by-step instructions with clear results rather than big ambiguous tasks.

I have both ADHD and ASD/aspergers. The two combine to deny me executive function. I've done a lot of research on this recently. Coping strategies include lots of planning, estimating how long tasks will take, focus on small achievable tasks and generally trying not to panic.

 

[grommet]

When I come home with groceries I put the receipt on the refrigerator with a magnet. My girlfriend taught me to do this. So today I changed the receipt and I looked at the old one and found out that I had gone out yesterday for groceries. I had no idea I had. I thought it had been days. I have almost no sense of time. It took a piece of paper to tell me what I did yesterday. I hope this kind of brain is good for something. I do have a wonderful imagination.

 

[Rayner]

When I come home with groceries I put the receipt on the refrigerator with a magnet. My girlfriend taught me to do this. So today I changed the receipt and I looked at the old one and found out that I had gone out yesterday for groceries. I had no idea I had. I thought it had been days. I have almost no sense of time. It took a piece of paper to tell me what I did yesterday. I hope this kind of brain is good for something. I do have a wonderful imagination.

Do you have a watch? I have a rather good sense of time but I don't have very good ability to judge how long something may take

 

[grommet]

Do you have a watch? I have a rather good sense of time but I don't have very good ability to judge how long something may take

Yes, I always wear a watch. For some reason I like to set a timer to tell me how long it has been since I ate. I say 'for some reason' because I do not know when I started doing it. It's just habit now. I think the longest I went without eating was more than 18 hours.

In the past I would forget to eat. It didn't really matter to me anyway. But I have been trying to make myself eat more because it is supposed to be healthy. I have a tendency to measure things. When I ate, how much water I drink, the temperature outside and inside. Maybe I do that because I feel lost and I am trying to be more in touch with what's happening. Maybe it is a way to feel more control. I do not know. I seem to like data.

I have never gotten myself the gift but for years I have wanted a set of gage blocks. They are pieces of block metal made to very exact dimensions and used for calibrating metal working tools. I do not have a need for them but the idea of having something with that degree of certainty soothes me. I am odd.

 

[zurb]

I've always hated paper based diaries. At the time I thought Apple Newton's were an excellent idea, and would have bought one if I could've. I've been using an electronic diary since my Palm M125. Since then its been secondhand smartphones.
Recently due to work and changes in routine I seldom look at my home computer. I have email on my phone, as well as a banking app. I schedule electronic payments as soon as I get the bill, otherwise it gets lost in my emails. I've recently added power and phone suppliers to my 'VIP' list so I never miss them.
I'd add some 'likes' to previous posts if it was working.

 

[Rayner]

I have I have tend to like to measure things too. What kind of watch do you have? I have a Casio iliumator watch it has a altimeter and a barometer. Along a stopwatch,timer,alarm,and preset times across the world.

Yes, I always wear a watch. For some reason I like to set a timer to tell me how long it has been since I ate. I say 'for some reason' because I do not know when I started doing it. It's just habit now. I think the longest I went without eating was more than 18 hours.

In the past I would forget to eat. It didn't really matter to me anyway. But I have been trying to make myself eat more because it is supposed to be healthy. I have a tendency to measure things. When I ate, how much water I drink, the temperature outside and inside. Maybe I do that because I feel lost and I am trying to be more in touch with what's happening. Maybe it is a way to feel more control. I do not know. I seem to like data.

I have never gotten myself the gift but for years I have wanted a set of gage blocks. They are pieces of block metal made to very exact dimensions and used for calibrating metal working tools. I do not have a need for them but the idea of having something with that degree of certainty soothes me. I am odd.

 

[grommet]

I have I have tend to like to measure things too. What kind of watch do you have? I have a Casio iliumator watch it has a altimeter and a barometer. Along a stopwatch,timer,alarm,and preset times across the world.

I stopped buying cool watches a few years ago. I have had two Casio Pathfinders, both pretty cool. But they were big. Now I want something small that doesn't get in the way and is inexpensive - those other watches cost a lot. My current watch is a Casio Phys STR-300. It was about $20, is light and small with button I don't too often accidentally press. It has five built alarms. Being inexpensive it has a plastic face instead of the crystal faces I had on the others. When it scratches I use plastic polish and a rotary tool.

 

[Rayner]

I stopped buying cool watches a few years ago. I have had two Casio Pathfinders, both pretty cool. But they were big. Now I want something small that doesn't get in the way and is inexpensive - those other watches cost a lot. My current watch is a Casio Phys STR-300. It was about $20, is light and small with button I don't too often accidentally press. It has five built alarms. Being inexpensive it has a plastic face instead of the crystal faces I had on the others. When it scratches I use plastic polish and a rotary tool.

I like my Casio Illuminator I got my watch target on sale for $30 I am planing to put a new nylon band on it sense I don't like how the current band feel against my skin

 

[grommet]

I don't like how the current band feel against my skin

I am so glad you said that. I have things like that that are important to me too. If I don't care about something then I really don't care but if something doesn't feel right I can't stop feeling it, I need to change it.

Back to the subject of watches, I do miss having cool watches but it's not as important to me anymore. I did always want a Luminox but then they are only analog and I do need a countdown timer for laundry and a stopwatch to know how long it has been since I have eat and alarms to remind me. When I saw The Bourne Identity I liked the watch the main character had and thought about getting one until I found out it cost thousands of dollars. I had had no idea. My $20 Casio is working out fine. In fact, for some strange reason it is keeping perfect time. I keep checking the internet time to adjust my watch but it's always in sync. All the Casio watches I have had always lost about .6 seconds a day. This one doesn't seem to lose any or it is too small for me to measure.

I hope you find the band you want. Things that go against the skin if they aren't right can be really uncomfortable. My first pair of glasses felt like fire on my face. I hated them. I exchanged them for another that didn't bother me as much, in fact I have for short periods forgotten I had them on.

 

[Rayner]

I am so glad you said that. I have things like that that are important to me too. If I don't care about something then I really don't care but if something doesn't feel right I can't stop feeling it, I need to change it.

Back to the subject of watches, I do miss having cool watches but it's not as important to me anymore. I did always want a Luminox but then they are only analog and I do need a countdown timer for laundry and a stopwatch to know how long it has been since I have eat and alarms to remind me. When I saw The Bourne Identity I liked the watch the main character had and thought about getting one until I found out it cost thousands of dollars. I had had no idea. My $20 Casio is working out fine. In fact, for some strange reason it is keeping perfect time. I keep checking the internet time to adjust my watch but it's always in sync. All the Casio watches I have had always lost about .6 seconds a day. This one doesn't seem to lose any or it is too small for me to measure.

I hope you find the band you want. Things that go against the skin if they aren't right can be really uncomfortable. My first pair of glasses felt like fire on my face. I hated them. I exchanged them for another that didn't bother me as much, in fact I have for short periods forgotten I had them on.

I like the watch that Jason Bourne wears in the Bourne. I also the watch James Bond (Daniel Craig) wore in casino Royal. He wore a omega seamaster witch is a $3,500 watch.

 

[wanderer03]

I found a fantastic tool to help with project organization. It's free and called ProjectLibre. I began using it to create a timeline of milestones towards getting my business started.