People With Executive Dysfunction Say These 10 Messy Habits Feel Way Too Familiar
If these habits feel painfully relatable, you're not alone.
A. C. | Unsplash As people, we rely on our mental capabilities and cognitive skills to do things like regulate emotions and navigate our day-to-day lives. Planning and organization, completing tasks, time management, and problem-solving are necessary if we are to be successful and functional.
All of those skills fall under the umbrella of "executive function," which plays a key role in your development, especially in educational settings, life, and career. The three core areas of executive function are working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition, which relate to selective attention and self-control.
But when you are underdeveloped in the area of your brain that is responsible for your memory and keeping your emotions in check, you are susceptible to executive dysfunction. Where executive function skills mean you can pivot when plans change, stay organized, remember important details, follow complex instructions, and execute projects from start to finish, examples of executive dysfunction include losing things, forgetting details, disorganization, lack of time management, frustration, and lack of impulse control.
There is a lot of confusion about executive dysfunction as it relates to ADHD. Many appropriately conflate the two since several of the symptoms overlap and are interchangeable. In ADHD, circuits in the brain that are impaired affect things like working memory, emotional regulation, and timing, similar to executive dysfunction.
The core cognitive and mental processes that are disrupted in both executive dysfunction and ADHD are inhibition (self-restraint), self-awareness (attention to self), non-verbal working memory (saving imagery to your mind and recalling it), verbal working memory (inner-monologue), self-regulation (processing and altering feelings), self-motivation, and problem-solving (including planning).
In short, ADHD is an umbrella term for the deficiencies of the executive functions. A lack of development in executive functions over time is a precursor and warning sign that someone may be suffering from ADHD. Treatment for that disorder can result in marked improvements in executive functionality.
People with executive dysfunction say these 10 messy habits feel way too familiar:
1. They lose things a lot
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If you find yourself losing things regularly, such as documents, work, or school materials, your executive function skills may be impaired.
Impaired working memory makes it extraordinarily difficult for these children to consistently anticipate, plan, enact, and maintain goal-directed actions, a 2019 study concluded. When your working memory isn't functioning optimally, you might set your keys down without fully registering where you placed them because your brain has already jumped to the next thought.
2. They have trouble controlling their emotions, mood, and behavior
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People with executive dysfunction are unable to control their emotions, are easily frustrated, and might lash out without meaning to. You might have executive dysfunction if your mood goes up and down on a whim, and your behavior often matches the chaos going on within.
Research confirms that there is a lack of self-control, greater impulsivity, and greater disorganization with executive dysfunction, leading to greater amounts of aggressive behavior. Executive dysfunction not only affects tasks. It also impacts your emotions.
3. They struggle to deal with setbacks
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Failure is a part of life that most of us deal with by learning the lesson and doing better next time. But when your cognitive and emotional functions are out of whack, you have a difficult time moving past setbacks.
Over time, people with these difficulties report more symptoms of depression and anxiety, one study suggested. It's a vicious cycle where setbacks feel harder to recover from, which creates more setbacks, which makes recovery feel even more impossible. Understanding this pattern is the first step toward breaking it.
4. They have difficulty following instructions
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The ability to follow instructions is important in getting things done. If you are unable to follow instructions from the beginning to the end, you might be struggling with your executive functions. Sometimes one task might morph into many unintentionally.
If someone cannot process or hold instructions in working memory, they will probably fail to complete a given task correctly. Research found that a combination of poor executive control and impaired working memory may constrain a person's ability to encode, hold in mind, and subsequently act upon sequences of commands.
5. They have poor time management
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Time management can be a problem for many. If you are late to everything or spend time on things that do not move your goals forward, you lack time management skills, and that, combined with other symptoms, could mean executive dysfunction.
A 2023 study on time perception found that adult patients with ADHD have problems in the estimation of time intervals, in the reproduction of time intervals, and in the management of time. Executive dysfunction and problems with inhibition are closely connected to deficits in time management and time processing.
6. They're forgetful
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Forgetfulness is a part of life sometimes. But if you find yourself forgetting things frequently and are not suffering from diagnosed memory loss, you may have executive dysfunction.
In practical terms, research shows that forgetfulness is not a matter of not trying hard enough, but rather, a reflection of the way cognitive processes operate differently in brains with executive dysfunction. Behavior that looks like forgetfulness or disorganization does not mean someone is not trying hard or doesn't care. Your brain is simply working with a different operating system.
7. They have problems translating their thoughts into words
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Sometimes it is hard to get what you see in your head out of your mouth in a way that others can understand. The ability to translate thoughts to words is a cognitive function that is impaired when you have executive dysfunction.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a common symptom of executive dysfunction is "having trouble explaining your thought process clearly because you understand it in your head, but putting it into words for others feels overwhelming." This disconnect between internal understanding and external expression can be incredibly frustrating.
8. They lack organization
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Organization is one of the keys to accomplishment. They say cleanliness is next to godliness, and if your surroundings are cluttered and in disarray, your mind will be as well. Disorganization is a telltale sign of executive dysfunction.
Individuals with ADHD often experience problems with organization, discipline, and setting priorities, and these difficulties often persist from childhood through adulthood. Studies examining executive function have found that deficits in executive function components have been implicated in difficulties with organizational skills, planning, goal-maintenance, and task engagement.
9. They're unable to remain focused for long periods of time
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Projects and tasks require the ability to remain focused throughout to see the expected outcomes. If you often find yourself losing focus during assignments, jobs, or other important tasks, you have a disorder in your executive function.
Sustained attention is a foundational cognitive function that underlies other cognitive domains. When executive function is impaired, this ability to stay on task becomes incredibly difficult.
10. They lack motivation
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People can try to inspire you as much as they want, but true motivation comes from within. Others pushing and prodding can only get you so far.
If you lack the deeply embedded desire to get up, get out, and get something, you could be afflicted with executive dysfunction. This might come across as feeling "stuck" or paralyzed.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and the author of seven books. She focuses on lifestyle and human interest stories that deliver informative and actionable guidance on interpersonal relationships, enlightenment, and self-discovery.
