Impart Therapy Blog

The third session of our spring ADHD support group discussed the executive functions and their connection with ADHD.

What are the executive functions?

Executive functions work in the background of our lives quietly managing nearly every aspect of daily life. They allow us to initiate tasks, manage time, regulate emotions, maintain focus, solve problems, and plan for the future. These functions are controlled by the prefrontal cortex, the very front of your brain behind your forehead which is the part that evolutionarily developed last.

To break it down even further, task initiation generates the mental momentum needed to start a task even when it feels boring, difficult, or overwhelming. Time management estimates how long things will take, prioritizes deadlines, and tracks the passage of time. Emotion regulation allows us to pause before reacting to frustration, disappointment, or criticism. Focus maintenance filters out distractions, both external ones like noise and devices and internal ones like racing thoughts. Problem-solving gives us the ability to shift strategies or try a new approach when something is not working. Planning for the future involves mapping out the steps to reach longer-term goals like saving money or planning a trip.

What this looks like in real life is that people with ADHD, unlike neurotypicals, have an inconsistent planning and organizational pause between a task appearing and taking action. The pause allows the brain time to use the executive functions to estimate how long the task will take, prioritize it against other responsibilities, organize the steps needed to complete it, and decide when and how to begin. And it all happens outside of conscious awareness, making the transitions between intention and action easier. Without that pause, ADHDers may know exactly what needs to be done, yet still find it difficult to initiate, organize, or follow through on tasks consistently.

Executive dysfunction in ADHD can look like knowing exactly what needs to be done but struggling to get started, feeling overwhelmed by tasks that seem straightforward to others, underestimating how long something will take (also known as time blindness), and spending a lot of time deciding where to begin. It is also common to experience starting multiple tasks but having difficult finishing them, forgetting important steps, deadlines, or responsibilities, becoming distracted by competing priorities or new ideas, hyperfocusing on one task while unintentionally neglecting others, having inconsistent productivity, and feeling frustrated when effort doesn’t translate into follow-through. Executive dysfunction affects every aspect of an ADHDer’s life.

These challenges are not a reflection of effort, intelligence, or capabilities. They stem from real differences in how the ADHD brain regulates attention, motivation, time, and behaviour. Executive functioning challenges does NOT mean you are incapable of succeeding. They simply mean that success often depends less on willpower and more on having the right systems, supports, and strategies in place to help bridge the gap between knowing and doing.

Tools for Planning and Organization

1. Use checklists – Create step-by-step checklists to track progress on tasks. Breaking work into smaller more visible steps reduces overwhelm and gives a clear sense of accomplishment as each item is completed.
2. Declutter workspaces – Regularly clear and organize both physical and digital workspaces to reduce distractions. A tidy environment supports focus and helps lower the cognitive load that clutter can place on an ADHD brain.
3. Prioritize tasks – Use the Eisenhower matrix to sort tasks by urgency and importance. This simple system helps you focus on what truly matters and avoid spending energy on low-priority activities.
4. Body doubling – Work alongside another person (in-person or virtual) to support focus, structure, and follow-through. Having another person present increases accountability and helps reduce distraction and avoidance.
5. Mind dumping – Literally getting everything out of your head and onto paper. Include tasks, worries, or prep thoughts. It all goes down. This clears space in your brain, reduces anxiety, and makes it easier to prioritize.

Tools for Time Management

1. Timers and alarms – Use timers and alarms to signal task transitions. Set alerts to start, pause, and switch between activities, helping your brain recognize time boundaries and stay on schedule throughout the day.
2. Pomodoro technique – Break the task into smaller more manageable chunks using focused work intervals (e.g. 25 minutes on, 5 minutes off). This reduces overwhelm and makes large tasks feel more approachable and achievable.
3. Schedule buffer time – Build extra time between tasks and appointments to accommodate distractions, transitions, or unexpected delays. Buffer time reduces stress and prevents the cascade effect when one task runs long.
4. Visual calendars and planners – Use colour-coded visual calendars or planners to map out your week at a glance. Colour coding by category (work, personal, health) makes priorities clear and helps your brain quickly process what’s ahead.
5. Mindful transition – This is a 30-second micro-practice designed to help your ADHD brain shift between task without the usual cognitive drag. It involves three simple steps to help you move from one activity to another with more intention.
   1. Briefly summarize what you just accomplished to give your brain a sense of closure even if the task is not fully finished.
   1. Take three deep breaths while visualizing the task you are about to start.
   1. Set a clear intention for how you want to approach that next activity.

This practice is a gamechanger because it minimizes the heavy load on your working memory, which is often where our feelings of overwhelm and procrastination begin. Intentional pauses can help regulate transitions, supporting steady flow and reducing patterns of overactivation followed by burnout.

You have likely heard these strategies many times, but for ADHD brains, they do not always translate into consistent follow-through. The problem is NOT that these strategies do no work. The problem is that most of us are told what to do without understanding why it helps. Your ADHD brain is interest driven. It does not run on motivation alone. You have to make the task interesting to your brain using these strategies.

These strategies work because they reduce the mental load required to take action. Breaking tasks into milestones makes a large task feel manageable and creates frequent experiences of success. Rewarding progress activates the brain’s reward system making it more likely you will repeat the behaviour. Setting clear deadlines reduces decision fatigue and gives your brain a concrete target. Reflecting on progress helps your brain notice success instead of only focusing on what’s left to do.

Creating Your Executive Function System

1. Choose 2-4 tools that match your patterns and needs.
2. Identify a real task or situation where you’ll apply them.
3. Decide when and how you’ll use them. Be specific and realistic.
4. Reflect on what worked, what did not, and what adjustments could be made to help make it even more effective.
5. Create a personalized system that fits how your brain actually works and continue to refine it over time.

Key Takeaways

• No tool works in isolation – what matters most is understanding what you need in the moment.
• Choose strategies that feel realistic, sustainable, and aligned with your personal needs, interests, and goals.
• Repetition is key; building consistency with strategies takes time and practice, not perfection.
• An inch of movement is better than a mile of intentions.

About Adrienne Marsh

Adrienne Marsh, RN, RP (Qualifying), is a psychotherapist at Impart Therapy. Drawing on her background in nursing and mental health, Adrienne supports clients through anxiety, life transitions, and emotional wellness. She offers virtual therapy across Ontario. To learn more about working with Adrienne, you can book time with her here.