EXECUTIVE FUNCTION: MAKING THINGS EASIER
How to use the worksheet
Starting, switching, planning, remembering and finishing tasks can all take executive-function energy. If one of these steps feels hard, it does not mean you are lazy or not trying. Support is allowed. This worksheet helps you notice where tasks get stuck and identify ways to make them more manageable.
Begin by naming the tasks that are hardest to start and the ones that are hardest to finish. These may be different. You might know what you need to do but feel unsure how to begin, or you might get started and then lose track of the remaining steps. You can also note which transitions are difficult and what you regularly forget.
Next, explore what helps you begin. The worksheet suggests body doubling, timers, music, visual prompts and breaking tasks down. You can add your own ideas too. A support does not have to work every time to be useful; different tasks and days may call for different approaches.
Consider what could reduce the number of steps between you and the task. For example, you might put needed items together, prepare something in advance, use a checklist, set a reminder, or ask someone to help with one part. The aim is to reduce friction, not to create another complicated system to maintain.
The final prompts help you identify support you could ask for and choose one task to make easier today. Keep the step small and specific. It might be opening the document, putting the first item away, asking someone to sit with you, or deciding what can wait. You can ask another person to help you break a task down without taking control away from you.
Use the worksheet at your own pace. Short notes, a drawing, or a few keywords are enough. You can skip prompts and return later. Make the strategies fit your real needs and circumstances; you do not have to earn support by trying every other option first.
Space to Breathe Therapy
