Executive functioning describes the set of skills people use to handle everyday tasks, make plans, and set goals–for example, the ease with which someone can show up for their job or an appointment at the right time, regularly dress and feed themselves, or handle challenges like a traffic jam while driving to work, might reflect one’s executive functioning. 

Executive functioning fits into three main categories: working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition control. These terms can be a bit daunting and academic–and for some, they might even evoke a sense of shame–but we’ll demystify these terms and why these skills are necessary. 

Executive functioning: working memory

Your working memory is how your brain integrates new information, events, or situations into your overall understanding. 

Imagine a business person (or a captain of a ship) learns of some big news that impacts that day’s plans. Working memory allows the business person or captain to adapt their plans for the day, make new decisions, and absorb the information they just learned. 

Working memory also helps you use past information to make new decisions. The classic example is if someone touches a hot stove and burns themself for the first time–in the future, they will know not to touch a hot stove to avoid this from happening.

Working memory tends to get put in two categories: non-verbal working memory, which is your ability to picture or recall images, and verbal working memory, which includes things like your inner self-talk.

Folks with ADHD may also experience negative self-talk, or the way they speak or think of themselves in their head, especially if they make a mistake or an error. This is partially due to the executive functioning challenges discussed here. But it’s also because people with ADHD are more likely to experience being scolded, reprimanded, or punished in educational settings growing up than people without ADHD. 

Executive functioning: cognitive flexibility

“Cognitive” is a scientific work to describe the brain and its thoughts and function. Flexibility around cognition can manifest in a lot of different ways, but a simple way to think about it is the ability to know that different rules or expectations apply in different situations or settings. For example, at home, you might not always wear pants, but you know that outside of your home, you’re generally expected to wear clothes–and the type of clothes you’d wear could depend on things like the weather or environment. You might wear a rain jacket if it’s raining or a swimsuit at the beach. 

ADHD & Executive Functioning

One way to think about ADHD is that ADHD impacts how functional or dysfunctional one’s executive functioning is. The idea of “dysfunction” isn’t to shame anyone with ADHD, but really to consider how much these day-to-day challenges impact one’s ability to function well and handle things like work, school, and personal life demands. 

If someone finds themself coping in school but struggling in their personal life to keep up with their own self-care and basic things like cleaning, eating, and bathing, or if they’re falling behind at work, then they might benefit from support around executive functioning–whether or not they have an ADHD diagnosis. 

Common areas of difficulty with executive functioning and ADHD: motivation, attention, and focus

People with ADHD sometimes talk about “hyperfixating” or “hyperfocusing” on an area that interests them. For example, they might spend all weekend immersed in a new hobby. But writing a paper for school on a topic they find super boring, which they don’t have any motivation to do? That’s where things get tricky. 

ADHD can lead to intense, almost unlimited energy and curiosity about topics or things that are of interest to someone. However, it can make feeling motivated to do something else that much harder. 

Examples of motivation challenges with ADHD and executive functioning

• You only do laundry when you have no clean clothes left to wear
• You write your final exam or important assignment in an all-nighter the evening before it’s due, even if you had months to plan, because it didn’t feel that important or urgent
• You finish tasks 24 or 48-hours before the deadline

Conclusion

Challenges around executive functioning can impact any person, neurodivergent or neurotypical, but it can pose specific challenges for people with ADHD or people struggling with mental health challenges. So, what does someone do if they relate to the difficulties discussed in this blog, but they want to move forward?

Check out our blog on ADHD evaluations, ADHD and coaching, and consider setting up an ADHD assessment at Self Made Psychology.