Ep 91: Executive Function Skills Series #8 Planning & Prioritization

Learn to Thrive with ADHD Podcast

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10d ago 10:57

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In this game-changing episode of our executive function series, I share how to master planning and prioritization—and why the beautiful, color-coded plans you spend hours creating but never follow aren't serving your ADHD brain.

📌 Key Topics:

My Anime Expo breakthrough: going from post-trip chaos to calm confidence
Why the planning itself became my dopamine hit (and how to break that cycle)
The difference between executive function that's broken vs. inconsistent
How to zoom out and ask "what really matters this week?" when everything feels urgent
Building unshakeable self-trust through consistent small wins
Time awareness challenges and the game-changing power of tracking task times

🗣️ Featured Quote: "I used to make these beautiful color-coded plans that took hours to build, and then I wouldn't follow them. The planning itself was the dopamine hit. I wasn't being lazy—it was just executive function dysregulation."

💡 Strategy Breakdown:

Focus on just ONE thing per day (not always the "most important"—just one you'd be proud to complete)
Use "Main Intentions" vs. to-dos with built-in flexibility for unexpected things
Master the "Would be nice if" section with intentional language that prevents overwhelm
Break tasks down so small it's easier to do them than deal with how you'll feel if you don't
Apply the "when-where-what" commitment strategy (91% success rate vs. 35% for good intentions alone)

🎯 Coming Up Next: This concludes our Executive Function Series—but it's just the beginning! Summer courses on Overcoming Overwhelm, Getting Things Done, and more are coming.

🔑 Key Takeaway: Your executive function skills aren't broken—they're just inconsistent. With the right system that works WITH your brain instead of against it, you can build planning and prioritization like a muscle. It takes practice, not perfection.

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#executivefunctions #adhd #planning #prioritization #adhdsupport #adhdstrategies #adhdcommunity #timemanagement #productivity #adhdplanner

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