Executive dysfunction can affect many people, and its effects can be very frustrating. With that being said, by using SMART goals, we can actually help ourselves by making things a little bit easier!
Continue reading if you’d like to find out how!
Table of Contents
What is Executive Dysfunction?
This big complicated word really just refers to a difficulty with certain processes. These processes are things that we learn how to do efficiently with time, they aren’t really taught. For some however, things that seem simple to others might be very difficult to do for them.
Activities such as planning, organising and prioritising are all affected when one has executive dysfunction. Here’s a list of some of the many difficulties one might face:
Setting Goals
Those with executive dysfunction might have difficulty identifying what they want to achieve. They might also find it a struggle to stick to their goals in the first place!
Time Management
Managing time effectively is a massive struggle, because it has a lot to do with planning and organisation. One might find estimating how much time a task till take to be very complicated.
Remembering Information
Short term memory is a common symptom of ADHD, as well as executive dysfunction. This means that one might often forget an assignment or homework coming up, which can cause a lot of problems!
Keeping up with Deadlines
This is very much related to time management. Once one cannot estimate how long a task will take, they might misjudge the time they have and eventually miss a deadline.
A lot of these things are very important in our day to day life, so you can imagine what a big struggle this can cause for many people.
You can read more about ADHD symptoms and how to deal with them in this article!
If you relate in any way to this post, or would just like to help someone who has these struggles, I’ve got a great solution for you!
One of the most effective strategies to overcome executive dysfunction is setting SMART goals.
What are SMART Goals?
Creating SMART goals is a powerful method which shows you the best way to set a goal! The word ‘SMART’ is a mnemonic which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based.
What this really means is that they are well-defined, are achievable and relevant to one’s needs and interests! It’s far better than just creating a random goal, as you are trying to ensure the likely-hood to actually complete it!
Using SMART Goals Effectively
1. Specific
The very first step to setting a great goal is making sure that you are being very specific. Once you narrow down exactly what you want to achieve, then the next few steps become much easier!
If your goal is to start being more responsible with your work, then you might need to be more specific than that. For example, ‘I want to hand in any assignment/work deadlines on time.’
Once you’ve thought of what you want to improve, you can head onto the next step!
2. Measurable
Now that you’ve really narrowed down your goal, you’re ready to move onto the next step.
It’s not enough to create a goal like we did in the last paragraph and leave it at that. After you’ve made your goal, you need to ask yourself: ‘How much of something do I want to accomplish?’.
The goal we made in the last paragraph is still too vague! Setting milestones will actually give you the choice to reevaluate your goal if you need to. It also celebrates the smaller wins, which is very important to keep you motivated!
An example of this could be, ‘I want to hand in at least three of any assignments/work deadlines on time.’
3. Achievable
Sometimes, we make goals without the hindsight of what it will actually take to accomplish them.
This is why a lot of ours goals fall through in some way, and this step will ensure that won’t happen!
The secret to this step is knowing that you shouldn’t make your goal too ambitious. It needs to be in line with what you are currently able to do, that way you will avoid a lot of disappointment.
If your goal is not something you can achieve right now, then alter it a little! Perhaps you need to free up more of your time before you can start reaching your deadlines. As long as it’s achievable, you’re more likely to follow your SMART goal through!
4. Relevant
You made your goal for a reason right? Dig deep and find out what that reason is, because it will ultimately give you a purpose to continue!
Does your goal align with your values? If not, scrap it and start again! Why is your goal important to you? If you achieve it, will it contribute to what you would like to do in the future? When you do this, think about the one thing you want to achieve more than ever that will make you develop as a person.
I’ll alter our example so that you can understand better what I mean by this! ‘In order to achieve my goal of being more responsible, I want to hand in at least three of any assignment/work deadlines on time.’
5. Time-Based SMART goals
This is the final step to creating your SMART goal, but it is still a very crucial one.
Your goal has everything except a time frame!
Once you place an end date for your goal, you will be more motivated to actually see it through. You can choose any timeframe, however don’t make it too long or short – you’re going to need to keep it realistic.
If you create an end date that you didn’t manage to meet, that’s fine! Just learn from it and alter the end date to ensure you’ll manage next time.
A great example would be something like this: ‘In order to achieve my goal of being more responsible, I want to hand in at least three of any assignment/work deadlines on time, in three months’ time.’
Well, how do I make sure I keep up with my SMART goal?
We’ve made our SMART goal examples, but that means only half the work is done. The other half requires commitment to our goal, which is not the easiest thing to do! It’s also even more difficult to keep up with if you suffer from executive dysfunction, so we need to find extra ways to keep ourselves accountable.
Of course, one of the most important things to do is to write down your SMART goal somewhere you can see it every single day! Whether it’s on a sticky note or a paper attached to the fridge, make sure it’s visible to you at least once a day.
Still, that might not be enough, so here are a few tips on how to keep up with your SMART goals!
6. Identify what kind of Motivation you need
Motivation is hard to come by, especially when you suffer from executive dysfunction. Still, there are ways to overcome this issue and it’s actually really simple!
All you have to do is figure out which type of motivation works best with you. Just in case you didn’t know, there are two types of motivation which drive us throughout our life.
Intrinsic motivation is about the satisfaction that comes out of doing something. In fact, you won’t be working or studying to get something out of it, but simply because it makes you feel good to know you’re fulfilling your goals.
This is far from the truth when we talk about extrinsic motivation. This type of motivation means that you are doing something with the expectation of a reward afterwards. For example, after finishing an assignment you can reward yourself with a take away. This gives your brain a rush of dopamine and drives you to actually work on your task!
Depending on which type you believe works for you, adapt how you work on your goals accordingly. If you’re more likely to work intrinsically, then you don’t need to reward yourself after because the act of working on your task is enough! On the other hand, if you work better extrinsically then come up with something rewarding to do after you finish your task!
7. Use a Calendar App for your SMART Goals
A part of the reason why we find it difficult to commit to our goals is simply…forgetting them.
Although I did suggest that you write your SMART goal somewhere visible at all times, it’s also a good idea to have a visual representation of your goals somewhere super accessible. Since we spend most of our time on our phone/laptops, they are probably the most accessible things we have.
Apps such as iCalendar or Google calendar are enough to get you by, seeing as you can just open it up within one second and see what you have planned for yourself.
Let’s say that your goal is to hand in your deadlines on time. In that case, you should place blocks within the week where you dedicate an hour or two to work on it. That way, you have a constant reminder as to when you should be working on what you planned to do!
If you’d like to know more about planning and creating a routine, check out my article!
8. Track your Progress
Every small step should be celebrated! You deserve to take delight in the wins, no matter how small they are.
That’s why tracking your progress can really motivate you to keep going!
Let’s say you’ve finished one part of your assignment, it’s really worth writing that down somewhere. It will constantly remind you that you are capable of going on with your goal! Another great reason to do this is because of the satisfaction it will give you afterwards, trust me on this!
If you find writing it down a little too boring, there are some great apps out there which can motivate you to track your progress. One of the coolest apps I’ve come across is Habitica, because it literally turns your habits into a game.
For example, you get achievements and unlock things every time you cross something off your list. It really helped me begin to draw, because I was always excited to cross it off and get an achievement when I was done! It’s also super free, so there’s no catch!
There are loads of apps, so if you don’t particularly like this one, there are many others for you to choose from. The idea is to track your progress, and motivate yourself to keep going!
Conclusion
Executive dysfunction can be a challenging condition to live with, but setting SMART goals can be an effective strategy for overcoming its challenges.
Whether it’s improving time management, organisation, or any other thing you struggle with, SMART goals can help individuals with executive dysfunction.
So, what are you waiting for? Take control of your life and reach your full potential!
Have something else to add? Leave a note in the comments!
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