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ADHD Executive Functioning Tools – Part 1

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Tools and Tricks to Improve Your Executive Functioning

Part 1: External Memory

Would you like to get better at managing your attention and daily choices?

In this and my next post, I will describe practical tools and tricks that can help you manage your time and tasks better, especially if you have ADHD. I’ll explain why these practices are particularly essential for people who struggle with ADHD symptoms. However, many of these self-regulation tools are also good practice for everyone else.
Tools and Tricks to Improve Your Executive Functioning - Bionic Brain

Some Misunderstandings About ADHD

In order to understand how people with ADHD might benefit from specific tricks and tools, let me first address some common misunderstandings about ADHD.

1. The Scope of ADHD – a Deficit in Executive Functioning

The label “Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder” (ADHD) has long been criticized for being misleading and insufficient at best [47]. It highlights two specific symptoms, but falls short in describing the core or scope of ADHD.

While our understanding of ADHD as a complex phenomenon is still developing [16, 22, 26, 30, 35, 47], a big part of its core problem seems to be a deficit in self-regulation, or “executive functioning” [7, 13, 41]. This includes inefficient use of working memory, and poor engagement of reward circuits, especially for delayed rewards [39, 44, 45, 47].

Executive functions can include the following aspects [3, 6, 23], all of which ADHD can disrupt to varying degrees:

  1. self-inhibition, or self-restraint
  2. nonverbal working memory, or visual imagery
  3. verbal working memory, or self-speech such as your mind’s voice
  4. emotional self-regulation and motivation
  5. planning and problem-solving, or mental play
  6. self-managing with regard to time; anticipating and preparing for the future
2. The Cause of ADHD – Mostly Genetic

Individual differences in executive functioning are almost entirely genetic in origin, in fact it seems to be one of the most heritable psychological traits [18, 31]. ADHD, too, is highly heritable, although there are also some environmental factors, mainly of the biohazard type (such as brain injuries or toxins during pregnancy) that contribute to the risk of developing ADHD [36].

Contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence that ADHD is caused by social or other environmental factors, such as modern technologies, lifestyle, poor parenting, or not enough “rough and tumble play”.

3. The Spectrum of ADHD

Lastly: ADHD is not a pathology, in the sense of a qualitatively distinct category from neurotypicality. Instead, the differences between those who do and don’t have ADHD are quantitative and come on a spectrum. As such, there are also people on the other end of that spectrum, who have exceptional abilities to self-regulate (motor, cognitive, and emotional). A cutoff within the spectrum is needed only for practical purposes, such as qualifying for disability benefits.

How ADHD Affects All Areas of Life

If we consider how essential it is in our adult lives that we are able to manage our thoughts, as well as our emotions and behaviors, it is not surprising that poor self-regulation has far-reaching consequences throughout all areas of life.

An abundance of studies shows that people with ADHD experience more negative outcomes across many domains, including:

  • academic and professional underachievement [1, 17, 24, 27]
  • financial distress [10, 24]
  • higher divorce rates [10]
  • lower ratings of their friendships, social and leisure activities [10]
  • driving accidents and citations [5, 8, 17, 34]
  • substance abuse [1, 11]
  • arrests, convictions and incarcerations [32]
  • psychiatric disorders, including antisocial, addictive, mood and anxiety disorders [11, 12, 46]
  • recent negative life events as measured with the “Life Experience Survey” [20]

Furthermore, ADHD severity seems to be associated with negative life events, even when adjusted for – in other words, independently from – confounding factors such as psychiatric comorbidities, substance use, education, and income [10, 20].

As reflected in these studies, people with severe ADHD struggle in ways that are hard to even imagine for the rest of us, even though I’m sure we are all familiar with some degree of struggles with self-regulation. I trust we all know what it feels like to be distracted or disorganized, to be overwhelmed by a task or by too much information, to cope poorly with strong emotions, to run late for a meeting because we have misjudged or lost awareness of time, or to disappoint someone because we forgot about a commitment we made. For the luckiest among us, those are rare occurrences. For people with severe ADHD, this is every day, all day long.

But since probably all of us would prefer to become better – rather than worse – at regulating our own thoughts, emotions and actions, many of the skills and habits that make life with ADHD more manageable are good practices for all of us.

What Practical Tools and Tricks Can Help You Improve Your Executive Functioning?

ADHD Hacks – Part 1: Get Yourself a Bionic Memory

People with ADHD often experience deficits in working memory [2, 25], which is the ability to actively use or process information held in short-term memory. This impacts many everyday tasks, such as problem-solving, understanding and following instructions, or organizing and prioritizing to-dos.

Working memory capacity also suffers as we get older [14, 43], and it seems safe to say to say that we would all prefer our working memories to be better, rather than worse.

Therefore, the practice of externalizing memory as much as we can is good advice for everyone. Instead of relying on your brain, it is good practice to offload and organize all task-related information outside of our minds – on paper or electronically. If we don’t do that, we are all prone to forget things, lose clarity of what we’re working on, and become chronically stressed by all the “stuff” in our minds.

Here are some practical examples of how to externalize memory.

Calendars

You are probably already using one, or several. Are you already maximizing its usefulness, or could you put more things out of your mind if you put them into your calendar?

Physical reminders

Sticky notes or actual objects in strategic places can remind you what you of need to do when you see them. If you want to make sure you won’t leave the house forgetting that it’s trash day tomorrow, you might stick a note to the door saying “take out trash”. Make sure to remove those physical reminders as soon as you don’t need them anymore, otherwise you will very quickly stop noticing any of them.

Physical reminders as external memory (ADHD Executive functioning tools)

Worried you might forget to clear out the fridge after a night in a motel? (It’s happened to us. Oh, the sadness!) To avoid that, put an ultra-cool beer-cooler – but really anything works – as a place-holder in front of the door, to serve as a physical obstacle/reminder.

Writing things down

This one is obvious, but it goes beyond writing to-do lists. For example, one of my clients had troubles staying focused while reading. She already had made good experiences with journaling in the mornings to clear ther mind, so she decided to also try journaling right before reading. She was happy to report that this enabled her to stay focused on the plot and enjoy a novel in a way she usually couldn’t.

I also find that writing down intrusive thoughts helps many of my clients put those thoughts literally “out of their minds”, and enables them to re-focus on the task at hand.

Decision tools

For important decisions, use decision support tools that help you visualize the problem, rather trying to juggle all your thoughts and feelings in your head. This might be particularly beneficial for people with ADHD, because in tasks that measure analytic decision making competence, adults with ADHD show deficits that are no smaller than their attention deficits [28, 33]. Importantly, low analytic decision competence truly matters in real life: even when measured with hypothetical decisions, low decision-making competence is related to real negative life events [14a]. Therefore, learning how to make good decisions seems like a very worthwhile skill to acquire, not only for people with ADHD.

Task management systems

A classic example is David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” method, which proposes a system of how to offload and organize all task-related information externally. There’s no shortage of other books, programs and apps with similar purposes, and no particular system that I would recommend over any other. Try whichever you find appealing, or create your own system. Keep using whatever works and fine-tune what doesn’t. Don’t try to find the perfect app that will solve all your problems at once. Also, don’t use too many apps, especially if their purposes overlap.

You can go very high-tech, or very analogue. Whatever works for you, as long as it’s outside of your own brain.

Alarms

Again, you’re probably already using those. However, could you use a larger variety of them to start and end different kinds of tasks? If the word “alarm” sounds harsh, choosing a pleasant sound or motivating song can make a difference. But perhaps more importantly, consider how wonderful it will be to NOT have to pay any attention to the clock at all in the meantime. You can fully relax, focus, or be free, until the moment the timer goes off.

You might also consider non-auditory timers. For example, my husband and I wanted get to sleep at a more regular time. (By the way, that is also one of the most often named changes my clients want to make). So he programmed one of our lights to switch off at the same time every night. It is is not a disruptive „light’s out“, just a decorative light clicking out. But it works, since it’s a reminder of something we want to do anyway. The difference between wanting to do something and consistently doing it is sometimes just an programmed light switch.

What other tools and tricks help with executive functioning if you have ADHD?

In this post, I focused on the practice of externalizing memory, since it is such an essential part of managing ADHD. However, deficits in working memory are not the only challenge for many people with ADHD. Another hallmark of ADHD is a difficult relationship to time, especially the future [15, 30a]. This includes poor time estimation [6, 30a, 40]. But also includes a tendency towards impulsive choices, and with that, difficulties to get motivated when consequences are delayed [6, 21, 29, 37, 38].

In my next post, I will discuss these problems in more detail. I’ll provide practical examples of tools that help with delaying gratification and managing time. Whether or not you have ADHD, these practices will help you take better care of your future self.

Stay tuned!

by Ursina Teuscher (PhD), at Teuscher Decision Coaching, Portland OR

References:

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[10] Beauchaine, T. P., Ben-David, I., & Bos, M. (2020). ADHD, financial distress, and suicide in adulthood: A population study. Science Advances, 6(40), eaba1551. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aba1551
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[13] Boonstra, A. M., Oosterlaan, J., Sergeant, J. A., & Buitelaar, J. K. (2005). Executive functioning in adult ADHD: a meta-analytic review. Psychological Medicine, 35(8), 1097–1108. https://doi.org/10.1017/S003329170500499X
[14] Bopp, K. L., & Verhaeghen, P. (2005). Aging and Verbal Memory Span: A Meta-Analysis. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 60(5), P223–P233. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/60.5.P223
[14a] Bruin, W. B. D., Parker, A. M., Corporation, R., & Fischhoff, B. (2007). Individual differences in adult decision-making competence (A-DMC. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 938–956.
[15] Carelli, M. G., & Wiberg, B. (2012). Time Out of Mind: Temporal Perspective in Adults With ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 16(6), 460–466. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054711398861
[16] Castellanos, F. X., Sonuga-Barke, E. J. S., Milham, M. P., & Tannock, R. (2006). Characterizing cognition in ADHD: beyond executive dysfunction. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 10(3), 117–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2006.01.011
[17] Faraone, S. V., Biederman, J., Spencer, T., Wilens, T., Seidman, L. J., Mick, E., & Doyle, A. E. (2000). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults: an overview. Biological Psychiatry, 48(1), 9–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0006-3223(00)00889-1
[18] Friedman, N. P., Miyake, A., Young, S. E., DeFries, J. C., Corley, R. P., & Hewitt, J. K. (2008). Individual Differences in Executive Functions Are Almost Entirely Genetic in Origin. Journal of Experimental Psychology. General, 137(2), 201–225. https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-3445.137.2.201
[20] Garcia, C. R., Bau, C. H. D., Silva, K. L., Callegari-Jacques, S. M., Salgado, C. A. I., Fischer, A. G., Victor, M. M., Sousa, N. O., Karam, R. G., Rohde, L. A., Belmonte-de-Abreu, P., & Grevet, E. H. (2012). The burdened life of adults with ADHD: Impairment beyond comorbidity. European Psychiatry, 27(5), 309–313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpsy.2010.08.002
[21] Jackson, J. N. S., & MacKillop, J. (2016). Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Monetary Delay Discounting: A Meta-Analysis of Case-Control Studies. Biological Psychiatry. Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, 1(4), 316–325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2016.01.007
[22] Jadidian, A., Hurley, R. A., & Taber, K. H. (2015). Neurobiology of Adult ADHD: Emerging Evidence for Network Dysfunctions. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 27(3), 173–178. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.neuropsych.15060142
[23] Kamradt, J. M., Nikolas, M. A., Burns, G. L., Garner, A. A., Jarrett, M. A., Luebbe, A. M., & Becker, S. P. (2021). Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS): Validation in a large multisite college sample. Assessment, 28(3), 964–976. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191119869823
[24] Klein, R. G., Mannuzza, S., Olazagasti, M. A. R., Roizen, E., Hutchison, J. A., Lashua, E. C., & Castellanos, F. X. (2012). Clinical and Functional Outcome of Childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder 33 Years Later. Archives of General Psychiatry, 69(12), 1295–1303. https://doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2012.271
[25] Kofler, M. J., Singh, L. J., Soto, E. F., Chan, E. S. M., Miller, C. E., Harmon, S. L., & Spiegel, J. A. (2020). Working memory and short-term memory deficits in ADHD: A bifactor modeling approach. Neuropsychology, 34(6), 686–698. https://doi.org/10.1037/neu0000641
[26] Koutsoklenis, A., & Honkasilta, J. (2023). ADHD in the DSM-5-TR: What has changed and what has not. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1064141
[27] Loe, I. M., & Feldman, H. M. (2007). Academic and educational outcomes of children with ADHD. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 32(6), 643–654. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsl054
[28] Mäntylä, T., Still, J., Gullberg, S., & Del Missier, F. (2012). Decision Making in Adults With ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 16(2), 164–173. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054709360494
[29] Marx, I., Hacker, T., Yu, X., Cortese, S., & Sonuga-Barke, E. (2021). ADHD and the Choice of Small Immediate Over Larger Delayed Rewards: A Comparative Meta-Analysis of Performance on Simple Choice-Delay and Temporal Discounting Paradigms. Journal of Attention Disorders, 25(2), 171–187. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054718772138
[30a] Mette, C. (2023). Time Perception in Adult ADHD: Findings from a Decade—A Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(4), 3098. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043098
[30] Mills, S. (2022). The scientific integrity of ADHD: A critical examination of the underpinning theoretical constructs. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1062484
[31] Miyake, A., & Friedman, N. P. (2012). The Nature and Organization of Individual Differences in Executive Functions: Four General Conclusions. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 21(1), 8–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721411429458
[32] Mohr-Jensen, C., & Steinhausen, H.-C. (2016). A meta-analysis and systematic review of the risks associated with childhood attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder on long-term outcome of arrests, convictions, and incarcerations. Clinical Psychology Review, 48, 32–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2016.05.002
[33] Mowinckel, A. M., Pedersen, M. L., Eilertsen, E., & Biele, G. (2015). A Meta-Analysis of Decision-Making and Attention in Adults With ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 19(5), 355–367. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054714558872
[34] Murphy, K., & Barkley, R. A. (1996). Prevalence of DSM-IV symptoms of ADHD in adult licensed drivers: Implications for clinical diagnosis. Journal of Attention Disorders, 1(3), 147–161. https://doi.org/10.1177/108705479600100303
[35] Nigg, J. T., & Casey, B. J. (2005). An integrative theory of attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder based on the cognitive and affective neurosciences. Development and Psychopathology, 17(3), 785–806. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579405050376
[36] Núñez-Jaramillo, L., Herrera-Solís, A., & Herrera-Morales, W. V. (2021). ADHD: Reviewing the Causes and Evaluating Solutions. Journal of Personalized Medicine, 11(3), 166. https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm11030166
[37] Patros, C., Alderson, R., Kasper, L., Tarle, S., Lea, S., & Hudec, K. (2015). Choice-impulsivity in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review, 43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2015.11.001
[38] Pauli-Pott, U., & Becker, K. (2015). Time windows matter in ADHD-related developing neuropsychological basic deficits: A comprehensive review and meta-regression analysis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 55, 165–172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.04.011
[39] Pollak, Y., Dekkers, T. J., Shoham, R., & Huizenga, H. M. (2019). Risk-Taking Behavior in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): a Review of Potential Underlying Mechanisms and of Interventions. Current Psychiatry Reports, 21(5), 33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-019-1019-y
[40] Ptacek, R., Weissenberger, S., Braaten, E., Klicperova-Baker, M., Goetz, M., Raboch, J., Vnukova, M., & Stefano, G. B. (2019). Clinical Implications of the Perception of Time in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Review. Medical Science Monitor : International Medical Journal of Experimental and Clinical Research, 25, 3918–3924. https://doi.org/10.12659/MSM.914225
[41] Roselló, B., Berenguer, C., Baixauli, I., Mira, Á., Martinez-Raga, J., & Miranda, A. (2020). Empirical examination of executive functioning, ADHD associated behaviors, and functional impairments in adults with persistent ADHD, remittent ADHD, and without ADHD. BMC Psychiatry, 20, 134. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02542-y
[42] Sagvolden, T., Johansen, E. B., Aase, H., & Russell, V. A. (2005). A dynamic developmental theory of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) predominantly hyperactive/impulsive and combined subtypes. The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 28(3), 397–419; discussion 419-468. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X05000075
[43] Salthouse, T. (2009). Major Issues in Cognitive Aging. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195372151.001.0001
[44] Sonuga-Barke, E. J. S. (2002). Psychological heterogeneity in AD/HD—a dual pathway model of behaviour and cognition. Behavioural Brain Research, 130(1), 29–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0166-4328(01)00432-6
[45] Sonuga-Barke, E. J. S., Becker, S. P., Bölte, S., Castellanos, F. X., Franke, B., Newcorn, J. H., Nigg, J. T., Rohde, L. A., & Simonoff, E. (2023). ANNUAL RESEARCH REVIEW: PERSPECTIVES ON PROGRESS IN ADHD SCIENCE – FROM CHARACTERISATION TO CAUSE. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 64(4), 506–532. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13696
[46] Spencer, T. J., Biederman, J., & Mick, E. (2007). Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Diagnosis, Lifespan, Comorbidities, and Neurobiology. Ambulatory Pediatrics, 7(1, Supplement), 73–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ambp.2006.07.006
[47] Wasserman, T., & Wasserman, L. D. (2015). The misnomer of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Applied Neuropsychology. Child, 4(2), 116–122. https://doi.org/10.1080/21622965.2015.1005487


Does Positive Thinking Help You Reach Your Goals?

Posted on by by Posted in Achieving Goals, Book Recommendations, Coaching Practice, Health Decisions, Performance, Academic Achievement, Procrastination, Productivity, Time Management, Relationship Decisions, Resources, tools
Can positive thinking help you reach your goals? Picture from: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/539763 (Attribution not required)

Can “positive thinking” really help you change your life for the better and reach your goals? Many motivational speakers and writers seem to believe so, but empirical studies reveal a more complicated picture.

If you want to reach your goals, positive thinking seems to come with some pitfalls.

In particular, in her research spanning decades, Gabriele Oettingen and her colleagues have discovered a powerful link between positive thinking and poor performance [e.g., 1 – 5]. Oettingen’s book “Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation” [6], and her website detail many of these findings. For example, in one study [2] they asked college students who had a crush on someone to engage in future fantasies about them and a person of their romantic interest. Six months later, the students who had engaged in positive future fantasies were less likely to have started up a romantic relationship with the person. The authors found a similar effect with academic performance: the more students engaged in positive phantasies about their performance on an upcoming exam, the poorer their performance was at the time of exams.

As her book [6] and website detail, Oettingen and her colleagues have performed such studies with participants from different demographic groups, in different countries, and with a range of personal wishes, including wishes related to health, academic and professional success, and relationships [1 – 5]. Consistently, they found correlations between positive fantasies and subsequent poor performance. The more people “think positive” and imagine themselves achieving their desired future, the less they achieve. The reason for this may be that positive thoughts and fantasies can trick your brain into feeling like you have already succeeded, thereby sapping you of the motivation necessary to work hard enough to realize your dreams [1].

So if positive thinking isn’t the best strategy to help you reach your goals, then what is?

Instead of positive thinking, Oettingen suggests “mental contrasting”. This method combines dreams and reality. As Oettingen writes in her book [6], the method brings positive thinking up against a visualization of the challenges that stand in our way. The method is explained in more detail on the website woopmylife.org.

Similarly, in her book “The Positive Power of Negative Thinking” [7], Julie Norem suggests “defensive pessimism” as a cognitive strategy. By imagining worst case scenarios, we can improve problem-solving and make our worries work for us. This can help us manage anxiety and as well as perform better.  

Does mental contrasting – instead of simple positive thinking – really help you reach your goals?

On her website, Oettingen cites a number of studies that have tested the effect of this mental exercise. This page provides a list with links to each study.

More recently, an independent group of researchers conducted a meta-analysis, including a total of 21 empirical studies. They evaluated the efficacy of mental contrasting in combination with implementation intentions for goal attainment [8]. They did find some publications bias, with published studies showing on average a larger effect size than unpublished studies. This is a phenomenon that’s often revealed by meta-analyses, and it is one reason meta-analyses are so important to consider. The authors therefore caution that the actual effect sizes may be smaller than the published studies suggest. Nonetheless, their analysis showed that overall, mental contrasting is an effective strategy for goal attainment.

Do you want to try some mental contrasting on your own goals?

If you’re ready to try this method, check out the many resources (videos, worksheets, and even a free app for Android or iOS) on Gabriele Oettingen’s website. If you think you could benefit from continuing support as you move towards your goals, let’s discuss how I might help.

Contact Ursina Teuscher for help with reaching goals

by Ursina Teuscher (PhD), at Teuscher Decision Coaching, Portland OR

Picture Credit:

[1] Photo released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0, Public Domain via https://pxhere.com/en/photo/539762

References:

[1] Kappes, H. B., & Oettingen, G. (2011). Positive fantasies about idealized futures sap energy. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47(4), 719–729. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2011.02.003
[2] Oettingen, G., & Mayer, D. (2002). The motivating function of thinking about the future: Expectations versus fantasies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83(5), 1198–1212.
[3] Oettingen, G., & Wadden, T. A. (1991). Expectation, fantasy, and weight loss: Is the impact of positive thinking always positive? Cognitive Therapy and Research, 15(2), 167–175. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01173206
[4] Thinking positive is a surprisingly risky manoeuvre | Aeon Essays. (n.d.). Aeon. Retrieved September 16, 2022, from https://aeon.co/essays/thinking-positive-is-a-surprisingly-risky-manoeuvre
[5] Oettingen, G. (2012). Future thought and behaviour change. European Review of Social Psychology, 23(1), 1–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/10463283.2011.643698
[6] Oettingen, G. (2014). Rethinking positive thinking: inside the new science of motivation. New York: Penguin Random House.
[7] Norem, J. K. (2001). The positive power of negative thinking. New York: Basic Books.
[8] Wang, G., Wang, Y., & Gai, X. (2021). A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Mental Contrasting With Implementation Intentions on Goal Attainment. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 565202. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.565202


Event Series: Procrastination and ADHD Follow-Through

Posted on by by Posted in Achieving Goals, ADHD, Career Development, Coaching Practice, Neuroscience, Performance, Academic Achievement, Procrastination, Productivity, Time Management, Resources, tools

Free webinar series with Vicki Lind (MS) and Ursina Teuscher (PhD) on Procrastination and ADHD.

Banner for Webinar Series on Procrastination and ADHD with Vicki Lind and Ursina Teuscher

Do you procrastinate? Do you have ADHD? Stalled on a project? 

Start 2023 with a clear plan and support by joining my colleague Vicki Lind and me in a webinar series and support hub. Do you struggle with procrastination or ADHD, or know someone who does? Learn more about procrastination and how to beat it, and get the support you need to follow through on your plans.

Vicki and I will teach three free interactive webinars together in January. Each week has a different focus:

Tue Jan 10, 9-10am PST: Support from Your Heart & Head
Tue Jan 17, 9-10am PST: Support from Others: Co-working, Bookending & Rewards
Tue Jan 24, 9-10am PST: Support from Your Tools: Your Calendar, Lists & Rewards

Following this series, Vicki will offer a February Support Hub, beginning on Jan 31st, Tuesday at 9 am. If you attend two webinars (in the past or now), you are invited to join Vicki and four other members in regular co-working sessions and ongoing encouragement as you carry out each clear, concrete task.

In our first webinar on January 10th, you will:

  • Identify the thoughts that get you off track and learn how to replace them
  • Understand some things about the brain, and what they mean for best practices
  • Get support for one or two essential action items that fit you
Are you ready to spend an hour with us to move ahead?

​Reserve your spot: vicki@aportlandcareer.com or 503-575-8217 or sign up with the form above

Vicki Lind, MS, Speaker at the Webinar on Procrastination and ADHD Ursina Teuscher, PhD, Speaker at the Webinar on Procrastination and ADHD

by Ursina Teuscher (PhD), at Teuscher Decision Coaching, Portland OR


Dealing With Regret Part II – Advanced Practice

Posted on by by Posted in Achieving Goals, Coaching Practice, Resources, tools

"Signs of Regret" - Art installationPicture credit: Ted Eytan

How do we best cope with regret about our past decisions?

In response and as a complement to my last post, I want to offer an “advanced practice” tool to deal with regret.

Regret is a complicated state of mind and often involves a mix of feelings. It’s worth getting clarity about what’s what.

For example, one on my clients gave up an artistic career in favor or a more practical path. The grief she felt about giving up a dream could easily be confused with regret, but it is not the same thing. You can experience negative feelings about the consequences of your choice without regretting the actual choice. Give yourself permission to dislike some of the consequences of your choice, while acknowledging that you chose the best possible path (or what seemed the best possible path at the time you had to make the decision).

Advanced practice: a tool to deal with regrets

Here’s a tool to help with this [download the pdf here]. Whenever you feel any kind of pain with regards to your past decisions, write down how exactly you feel about it. Then, figure out which parts of the negative feelings are true regrets – as opposed to grief, sadness, anger, resentment, etc. Ask yourself: what do I truly wish I had done differently?

Advanced Practice Tool to Deal with Regret.png

Example: Did I act (or fail to act) against my own values when a better path would have been possible? For instance, did I act out of cowardice, laziness, lack of care for others, lack of kindness, or negligent short-sightedness, against my better judgment? (Laziness and cowardice can include the active avoidance of information and of critical thinking – more about this here.)

If any of this applies, think very practically about how you could act more in line with your values next time. In fact, it’s worth thinking about that anyway – even if you feel that you acted to the best of the knowledge and capability you had at that time.

A good format for this are implementation intentions (explained in more detail here):

Example: If/when I find myself on the fence on whether to reach out to someone, I will remember how much I regretted my inaction last time, and I will take the first step. If it feels awkward, I will remind myself that awkwardness is an acceptable worst-case scenario. Losing a friend is not.

“Mathilde had walked in on her once crying in the coed showers,
had recognized her beautiful alto voice, and had walked out
again, choosing to give the gift of privacy over that of comfort.
Only in retrospect was that the worse choice.”

Lauren Groff – Fates and Furies.

Extra credit practice for true regrets:

Ask yourself: is it really too late, or could I still correct my regretted action or non-actions?

Example: Could I still reach out and try to restore that friendship? Could I still apologize, even if I hurt someone decades ago?

“Through this clear window, she could see how good it all had been.
She had no regrets.
[That’s not true, Mathilde; the whisper in the ear.]
Oh. Christ. Yes, there was one. Solitary, gleaming. A regret.
It was that, all her life, she had said no.”

Lauren Groff – Fates and Furies.

You can download a pdf of the advanced practice tool [here]. If you end up using it, I would love to hear from you! Here you can get in touch and schedule a call or leave me a message.

Contact Ursina Teuscher to discuss the "advanced practice tool to cope with regret", or other topics

by Ursina Teuscher (PhD), at Teuscher Decision Coaching, Portland OR


Decision Support Tool: Instructions for Creating a “Value Tree”

Posted on by by Posted in Career Development, Group/Interactive Decisions, Conflict Resolution, Resources, tools, Strategic Planning, Business Decisions, Organizational Development

Part of a value tree of one of my clients

Whenever you have a really big decision to make, the best place to start thinking about it is by identifying what really matters – that is, by clarifying your goals and values. To help with that, the exercise of constructing a “Value Tree” is a great decision support tool. Here you can download a set of instructions on how to create your very own value tree (written by myself and Barry Anderson).

The Research

Value trees (also known as “goal hierarchies” in decision theory) are an established method to support decision-making. Their effectiveness has been evaluated by several independent researchers with real career decisions. Those studies have shown that constructing a goal hierarchy leads people to process more information (Aschenbrenner et al., 1980, Paul, 1984), come up with more specific, rather than generic, goals (Teuscher, 2003), and be more satisfied with their decisions (Paul, 1984).

The Practice

It’s easy to do this exercise by yourself, but the value tree is also great decision support tool to use in a coaching setting. Therefore, a part of our instructions are addressed to counselors, coaches and facilitators who may want to start using this method. A value tree can be especially helpful for couples or groups who are tackling decisions together.

Below are a few examples of value trees that my clients or students created. While you probably won’t be able to read the content in these images, I hope the examples will encourage you to grab your own block of sticky notes and get started – and don’t hesitate to personalize this exercise.

Value Tree as a Decision Support Tool - Client Example

Value Tree Exercise (Workshop on Decision Support Tools by Ursina Teuscher)

Value Tree Exercise (Workshop on Decision Support Tools by Ursina Teuscher)

Value Tree Exercise (Student Example)

Value Tree Exercise (Student Example)

References:
Aschenbrenner, K. M., Jaus, D., and Villani, C. (1980). Hierarchical goal structuring and pupils’ job choices: testing a decision aid in the field. Acta Psychologica, 45:35–49.
Paul, G. (1984). Entscheidungshilfen im Studien- und Berufswahlprozess. Peter Lang, Frankfurt.
Teuscher, U. (2003). Evaluation of a decision training program for vocational guidance. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 3:177–192.

by Ursina Teuscher (PhD), at Teuscher Decision Coaching, Portland OR


Who Should Make Which Decisions in Your Team?

Posted on by by Posted in Coaching Practice, Group/Interactive Decisions, Conflict Resolution, Leadership, Resources, tools

A practical tool and downloadable template to help determine decision authority.

For the most part, my work focuses on helping people figure out HOW to make good decisions. However, in an organization (or family! or any other group of people), the more urgent and conflict-prone question is often WHO should make which types of decisions, rather than how they should make them.

During a conversation with a client lately, I realized that this, too, is a decision that we can approach with the same frameworks and questions that are helpful for other decisions. In this case, the “alternatives” are people within the organization. In other words, each potential decision-maker is one option, and the main challenge is to define which criteria the decision-maker should fulfill in order to bear that responsibility. Once you have defined those criteria, it becomes much more straightforward to assign the right person the responsibility for any type of decision.

Who should decide? How to determine decision authority in your team

I’ve created a template to illustrate and support this process. You can download it here. The spreadsheet as it is here may be too sophisticated for many situations, but you can adapt that general idea, and use it in any way you choose to guide this process within your team. (You should also adapt the set of criteria and their importance weights as you see fit, but the example may help you get started. It was among others inspired by this article.)

 

Who should decide? How to determine decision authority in your team

 

Things to consider when you use this approach to determine who gets to make which decisions in your team:

If there are no trade-offs (i.e., some people score higher than others on all criteria), the decision authority can simply go to the person with the highest total score (Column G). However, if there are trade-offs (as in the example), don’t look only at the totals. Trade-offs between criteria often suggest a way to share the decision.

For this example, given these particular criteria:

  • People with high expertise, but who are not affected by the decision (Team Member 2 in this example) could be advisors to the decision-maker.
  • People who are not affected by the decision in their regular work, if all goes well, but who might be affected by fallout of negative consequences (Team Member 3 in the example), could get a veto role. In other words, the person higher in the chain of command/responsibility might want to let someone else, who is closer to the decision, develop and propose a solution, but they might want to reserve the right to approve it before it is implemented. Criterion 3 here would justify this kind of overseeing role for Team Member 3 for this particular decision (clearly distinguishing this case from a micro-managing leadership style in general).

A possible practical solution for this example:
Team Member 1 could create a proposal, advised by Team Member 2. Team Member 3 would have to approve the proposed solution before it is implemented.

If you have faced the question of “who should make which decisions” in your team, please let me know what you think about this process. I’d love to hear about your experience!

by Ursina Teuscher (PhD), at Teuscher Decision Coaching, Portland OR


Beat Procrastination Habits With A Three-step Intervention

Posted on by by Posted in Achieving Goals, Coaching Practice, Procrastination, Productivity, Time Management, Resources, tools, Self-Assessments

Do you want to give your productivity a boost? This three-step intervention can help you diagnose and beat some of your most persistent procrastination habits.

Beat Procrastination Habits: Three Step Intervention

Step 1 – Assessment: Diagnose the Problems

Each person is different. What triggers your procrastination?

Procrastination is at its worst when we’re not aware of it. The first step in this intervention is therefore to increase your awareness of what’s tripping you up. You’ll want to get as much insight into yourself as possible, recognizing any problematic habits, or any patterns in your thoughts and behaviors that are getting in your way.

With that goal, keep a productivity journal to collect some data about yourself. You can download a template here and print it out.

Beat Procrastination Habits - Step 1: Assessment with Productivity Journal

Here is how it works: the night before your workday, write a to-do list and a schedule for the following day. Make sure to schedule realistically, including breaks and transition times.
Next to the planned schedule, have an empty column. As your workday unfolds, write into the empty column what you actually did.

– Warning: this may be painful! –

Throughout that day, take notes of what happened when you did or didn’t stay on track. Were there outside interruptions or emergencies? If not, what caused any deviations from your plans? Were you aware, at any moment, that you were procrastinating? What were your thoughts and feelings in that moment?

Keep this log for at least several days (more is better, but they don’t need to be consecutive days), then start analyzing patterns. Are there things that repeatedly throw you off?

This previous post lists some of the most frequent procrastination triggers I’ve observed in my own practice.

Step 2 – Treatment: Change One Thing

After analyzing your logs and seeking patterns, choose one issue to fix: what is the one thing you could do differently that has a potential of making things better? Choose the lowest hanging fruit first. Try an intervention, targeted at one trigger at a time. See it as an experiment you do with yourself. Whatever you try, do it for at least one week, or better yet, three weeks. Keep journaling throughout this time.

If you like the change you see, stick to it for another two weeks, even if it’s hard, because it takes a while for habits to form. By that time you will likely find it easier and will be able to keep the new habit, if it is making a positive difference in your life. If you find it hard to make the change, keep the mindset of a scientist: how could you make it work?

Step 3 – Repeat: Experiment, Tweak and Practice

Remember that this is an experimental approach. Whatever you try, see it as an experiment that may succeed or fail. Either way, you learned something important that will help you fine-tune your work habits.
After going through Step 1 (Assessment) and Step 2 (Treatment), you will likely observe some changes. If you don’t like them, or if you feel that there could be even more improvement, repeat both steps. If your assessment in Step 1 gave you a lot to work with, you may only need to repeat Step 2 by trying a new intervention, or by tweaking what you tried before, to make it work even better.

Also, remember that it takes a lot of time, grit and practice to become an expert, and to truly master a difficult skill. Managing our time (and yourself!) well is an inherently difficult skill to master, so be patient with yourself and don’t give up if things don’t improve right away. Take on your next obstacle and try the next intervention.

It is also a good idea to do the entire intervention with other people, such as with a friend, in a group, or with a coach. Not only does this give you accountability, which sometimes makes all the difference, but it also adds more creative thinking power to the process. When other people are helping you think about your problems, it will be easier to diagnose your triggers and design new solutions that may work for you.

If you would like my help with any of this, schedule your first coaching session or a brief phone call to discuss options.

Set up an appointment with Ursina Teuscher

by Ursina Teuscher (PhD), Portland OR


How to Manage Stress at Work

Posted on by by Posted in Achieving Goals, Career Development, Performance, Academic Achievement, Procrastination, Productivity, Time Management, Resources, tools, Self-Assessments, Stress Management

If your job is causing you a lot of stress, you’re not alone. In a 2014 survey in the US, almost a third (31%) of the workers reported that they typically feel tense or stressed out during the work day. This number is even higher among millenials (18-34 year old workers) than among any of the older generations.

What are the most common causes for stress at work?

So many issues can cause stress at work. The survey lists the following, with the most commonly experienced stressors on top:

  1. Low salariesHow to Manage Stress at Work: Learn a technique that helps you take control and start tackling your top stressors.
  2. Lack of opportunity for growth and development
  3. Uncertain or undefined job expectations
  4. Job insecurity
  5. Long hours
  6. Too heavy of a workload
  7. Unrealistic job expectations
  8. Work interfering during personal or family time
  9. Lack of participation in decision making
  10. Inflexible hours
  11. Problems with my supervisor
  12. Commuting
  13. Physical illnesses and ailments
  14. Problems with my co-workers
  15. Unpleasant or dangerous physical conditions
  16. Personal life interfering during work hours

Does any of this sound familiar when you think or your own job?

What can you do to manage stress at work?

When you search for “stress management techniques”, you’ll mainly find different versions of relaxation techniques. While being able to relax is a good skill to develop and practice, it only gets you so far. It doesn’t really help with most of the work stressors we’ve found here. Also, since there are so many different causes of stress, there is no one remedy that will help them all. Nonetheless, here is my suggestions for a specific technique that can get you started. I call it the “Sort and Tackle” Technique. All you need to begin with is a stack of index cards.

The “Sort and Tackle” Technique

Keep a stack of index cards nearby at work. Whenever you notice that you’re stressed out or frustrated about something, write it down on one card. Once in a while (you can do this as often as you want), do a “sort and tackle”:

1. Sort the cards. There will be some cards that describe stressors you have no control over whatsoever. For example, you may not be able to negotiate your salary. However other cards will describe issues that you may be able to improve in some way, if you are willing to invest some effort, take some risks, or just try something new. For example, you may be able to resolve a conflict with your co-worker, or change some habits to improve your own time management. Move the cards to the top of the pile that describe something you may be able to change. Move the other cards to the bottom that describe issues out of your control. If there are cards about which you are not sure, leave them in the middle for now. You can revisit them later and give them some more thought.

Extra credit: Use the back of each index card to list all kinds of ideas (even bad ones) of how you could improve each stressor. There’s no need to tackle all your problems at once, but collecting your ideas whenever they occur to you will give you something to choose from, once you’re ready to take specific steps.

2. Tackle one. Once you’ve sorted your cards – with the most hopeful, potentially improvable issues on top – pick just one among your top five cards that you want to tackle next. Make a specific plan about how to deal with this issue. For example, if you want to discuss your workload with your boss, you might start by scheduling a meeting with her, or you might start by asking a friend for advice on how you might approach the issue with your boss. Whatever your next step is, define it specifically as to what you are going to do when. It’s better to have a small next step in your calendar than a big but vague “to do” in your head.

And what do you do with the rest of the cards? For now: nothing at all. Until you can come up with reasons to move them to the top of the pile, that is. As long as you have no idea how you could improve the situation from your end, there is also nothing you need to do about it.

Here’s the beauty of this technique: even though you’re only tackling a small part of your problems at any time, this often has positive side effects on all of your stressors. Namely, knowing that you are taking active steps to improve your situation where you can, will give you more peace of mind about the issues that remain out of your control. It truly helps to acknowledge that there are parts of your work that simply suck. Since you can’t do anything about them, there is no point in worrying about them. So don’t throw any of the cards away – keep the whole pile and add to it whenever something new (or old) comes up that stresses you out. However, focus your active efforts and interventions on the top of your pile: on the issues you might be able to improve and are ready to tackle next.

by Ursina Teuscher (PhD), at Teuscher Decision Coaching, Portland OR


Productivity Wallpaper

Posted on by by Posted in Achieving Goals, Performance, Academic Achievement, Procrastination, Productivity, Time Management, Resources, tools

Organize Your Desktop Strategically with this Productivity Wallpaper

Productivity WallpaperLoosely inspired by Eisenhower’s Urgent/Important Principle, I designed a Productivity Wallpaper that  you can download here as a template. It is a customized desktop background that helps you stay focused by organizing your tasks in a spatial layout.

The idea is that it gives you room to arrange your documents, folders or apps according to when you want to use them:

  1. In the upper left quadrant of the screen, you would place stuff you need for your most important tasks. By important, I mean tasks that you truly care about, that have long-term significance, and that make your life more meaningful. Typically, those are bigger projects, often without a deadline (because they matter to YOU, more than to other people). They are therefore most in danger of being infringed upon by other people’s more urgent demands. For the same reason, they are also the most likely to fall victim to procrastination. Those are the tasks you’ll want to tackle during your “prime work time”, that is, during the time of day when you’re at your best, most focused, most motivated. You’ll want to protect the very best hours of your day or week for the tasks in that quadrant.
  2. By contrast, the upper right quadrant of the screen has room for tasks that you also need to do, but that tend to take too much of your time. Those are typically tasks that other people give you in some form or other. For example, you may need to respond to emails, prepare for meetings, solve your coworkers’ problems, and so forth. If your personality is on the conscientious side, you already know you will get those tasks done anyway, because you don’t want to disappoint people or get into other kinds of trouble with colleagues, customers, bosses, etc. For that very reason, these tasks are often not the ones that deserve your very best “prime work time” – the challenge is rather to limit the time spent on those items.
  3. The bottom right quadrant hosts fun, distractions, and personal stuff – in other words, not really work at all, but stuff you might do during off-time, such as reading, browsing, chatting, social media, watching movies, and all the other guilty pleasures that shall remain unnamed.
  4. On the lower left side there is room for “Other” stuff – whatever items are left that need space on your desktop.

After using (and tweaking) this productivity wallpaper for a while myself, I can truly recommend it. What I like about this setup is that I can use my desktop as a space to arrange a sort of free-style To-Do List with my task items. Or I guess “To-Do Space” would be more accurate. I found this works best if I create alias icons that I place on the desktop, rather than dragging actual files around. The document or application itself can then remain wherever it belongs in my folder structure. The advantage of alias icons is that I can now give each icon a name that stands for my current task, and when I’m done with that task, I can simply delete the icon and get it out of my sight, while the document itself stays safe.

If you want to give it a try for yourself, you can download the empty template (background) for the productivity wallpaper here as a large image that you can set as your own desktop wallpaper. If you like the general idea but would prefer some things to look different, let me know your thoughts and wishes in the comment field below.

by Ursina Teuscher (PhD), at Teuscher Decision Coaching, Portland OR


The Power of Decision Tables

Posted on by by Posted in Resources, tools

Have you ever used “pros and cons” lists to help you make difficult decisions? After reading this post, I hope you’ll give up those lists in favor of a much more powerful thinking tool: the decision table.

The power of decision tables

I see your lists, Leslie Nope, and I raise you a matrix.

Here’s how decision tables work, in a nutshell. Rather than making lists, organize all your thoughts and information in the structure of a matrix, of the sort that is sketched below (you can find more detailed instructions, templates, and specific examples here).

  1. As column headers: fill in your evaluation criteria – that is, all the factors that matter for your decision.
  2. As row headers: fill in all your options – that is, your alternatives, or possible courses of action.
  3. Then fill the cells inside the matrix with your “data”: what do you expect from each of your options, for each of your criteria?

The Power of Decision Tables

Why are decision tables better than pros and cons lists?
  • The table structure allows for more than two options. Even if you currently see only two options, the table will naturally encourage you to think more creatively about how to improve or combine your options so that you can maximize the positive outcomes on each of your criteria.
  • The table forces you to think systematically, in a balanced way. For example, it will not allow you to focus on the pros of one option and the cons of others, as we tend to do otherwise.
  • The matrix structure can hold a lot of information without overwhelming your working memory. This creates a great amount of clarity, even in very complex situations.
  • It is a great tool to search for information, showing you clearly where you might still have gaps in your knowledge.
  • If you want to evaluate your options quantitatively to determine a winner, the table allows for weighting your criteria and ranking your options. You can find more instructions on how to do that, including spreadsheet templates and examples here.
  • If you’re making decisions with others, a table is a great basis for discussion and for sharing thought processes and information.
  • Even if you’re not sharing your decision with anyone, documenting your own thought processes for yourself will give you the peace of mind that you’re making the best decision you can, based on your current knowledge. This is very empowering and will help you commit fully once you’ve decided on a course of action. It will also help you revisit the decision later if necessary, as new information comes in.

by Ursina Teuscher (PhD), at Teuscher Decision Coaching, Portland OR


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