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Overcoming Executive Dysfunction: 5 Strategies to Eliminate Brain Buffering
Practical Methods to Get Things Done Without Frustration
Anna Seirian & MJ Mayes
March 15, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
YOU KNOW WHEN YOU’RE TRYING TO STREAM AN EPISODE OF YOUR FAVORITE SHOW AND IT KEEPS BUFFERING?
That’s a lot like what’s going on when we experience executive dysfunction — both involve interruptions with the flow of information processing and can lead to that feeling of frustration and a sense of time wasted.
Your brain's executive functions are responsible for planning, organizing, prioritizing, and executing tasks. When your brain is “buffering,” it can make you more prone to errors, delays, and difficulty completing tasks.
HERE ARE 5 WAYS TO HELP YOUR BRAIN STOP BUFFERING:
🔄 REFRESH THE PAGE
Just like you might take a break and refresh a video that's loading, pause for a moment, get yourself something to drink, move around, and come back to the task with a fresh perspective. This can help you reset your focus and approach the task more effectively.
💿 RUN A VIRUS SCAN
Just as you might run a virus scan on your computer to identify and eliminate malware that's slowing down your system, it's harder to think clearly or get started when there are too many things distracting you — do your best to minimize all external distractions, like your phone, TV, and social media.
🚫 CLOSE OTHER APPLICATIONS
Having too many tabs + apps running at one time slows down your computer, even if it feels like we need all of them open. When all your tasks feel like they have to be done now, remember that prioritizing tasks by importance and urgency helps you decide what to do now and what to worry about later. This can help you can stay on track, avoid feeling overwhelmed, and focus on actually following through.
💾 UPLOAD A SMALLER FILE SIZE
Buffering can be caused by trying to load too much information at once, the same way executive dysfunction can can make us freeze when trying to tackle a large, complex task all at once. Breaking the task into smaller, more manageable steps can help make it more approachable and easier to complete.
☎️ CONTACT SUPPORT
We’ve all had to call our internet provider to ask for help, so remember that the same can be done for executive function issues arise — seek body-doubling support from friends & family or your friendly, neighborhood coworking space 😏 A support system can help you stay accountable and provide encouragement.
It’s really easy to mistake executive dysfunction as a sign that we are lazy or lacking willpower, but we know that bullying ourselves about it doesn’t solve the problem.
Instead, try thinking of yourself as a piece of software to remove the emotional charge you might feel around it. Would you ever get mad at your iPhone for running slowly when it has 42 apps open, 7% battery, and hasn’t been restarted in over a month? No — we’d give it the TLC that it needs.
👋 THANKS FOR READING
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