“I have all these plans, but I don’t know where to start— so nothing ever gets done!”
I
once received a phone call from a woman who began by sharing her struggles as someone with ADHD. She described, in detail, her constant sense of overwhelm. She told me about her challenges with daily care tasks such as laundry, dishes, meal planning, and preparing for Shabbos. She shared how she feels like she’s drowning in piles of laundry and overflowing sinks, always running late and struggling to keep up.
As the conversation went on, she told me about her 14-year-old daughter who also has ADHD and is facing similar struggles. She expressed her desire to support her daughter by scheduling therapy appointments and helping her get organized. Finally, she shared her personal goal of starting a cookie-decorating business.
This woman clearly has big dreams. She wants to learn skills that will help her succeed in her day-to-day life, support her struggling child, and build the foundation for her own business. But her story ended with an exasperated confession: “I have all these plans, but I don’t know where to start — so nothing ever gets done!”
Her experience is deeply relatable to anyone who struggles with executive functioning skills. After inviting her to take a deep breath, I introduced her to the concept of prioritization — an essential executive functioning skill. This skill helps us determine what tasks are most urgent, what can wait, what can be delegated, and what can be deleted altogether.
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