This entry is not about developing and maintaining habits. It will give you some ideas if you need help with executive function, especially starting tasks, switching, stopping, and starting again. My ADHD clients tested many methods, and the most effective seem to be the ones mentioned.

1.      Control environment: when you have ADHD, your environment is the source of distractions. Control your environment. If you work from home, the room should be the plainest, the calmest area in the house. If you work from the office, try to work away from your colleagues, ask to switch desks, and use the conference rooms or spare rooms. Book rooms that you might have access to. There is a divided opinion about working next to the window. Some clients find it relaxing, and others find it too distracting.

2.      Gain overlook: Consider everything you need to do before starting a task. This is like seeing the task from a bird' s-eye view. If you have ADHD, you like to know where to start and what to do next. You probably feel overwhelmed because you do not know what to do next. The overview should also be in the visual form of a spider diagram or mind map since you will probably add to it while working.

3.      Divide the task into small parts. This is ultimately connected with overseeing things. You can divide the tasks into smaller parts when you know what to do. If you still feel anxious about the task, divide until the subtask is no longer scary.

For example, writing an essay might be divided into brainstorming the topic, literature review, planning parts of the essay and writing. Brainstorming might be divided into finding alternative answers to the essay question. Finding alternative ideas might be divided into finding the pros and cons of the answer.

4. Plan. Plan the execution of subtasks into a weekly schedule.

We can say many things about planning, but the most important thing is to be realistic. No, you cannot work three hours straight or concentrate indefinitely on tedious tasks. You must switch tasks, eat, exercise, meet friends, and sleep.

Every subtask you decide on has to be written into the plan. Plans work best if they are in visual form in your working area but not in front of you. The whiteboards placed behind your chair would work wonders.

5. Delegate: The tasks you cannot delegate to someone else. If you know you must write ten thousand words or develop a marketing strategy, and you cannot clean your flat, delegate it to someone else.

6.   Take breaks: Take breaks at regular intervals. The break should be disconnected from your work area and the topic you work on. During breaks, you need to move, go out, and leave your working area, office, or home. Do not trip yourself by going on Instagram, Ticktock or websites about Roman Imperium. You can go for a walk.

7. Keep visual contact with deadlines: the Post-it method. Deadlines not imposed by outside authorities will not work. On the other hand, understanding time might trip your efforts. You need a visual representation of the time you have. So, for example, on the wall somewhere in your room, you can stick Post-its. Green for every day you have left, yellow for the available hours. Take the Post-its off the wall daily to represent the time passing.

8. Count yourself in.

5-4-3-2-1 method. Thanks to @MelRobbins, we have a perfect tool for activating your prefrontal cortex. You can count yourself down in your head to start actual work: "I will begin writing in 5-4-3-2-1". Of course, you can give yourself a longer countdown.

9. Expect failure and be prepared to regroup.

Yes, you will fail to stick to your plan, but it is good to have a detailed plan to return to and put into a weekly schedule again. It is not your fault; it is how your brain works. Dust yourself, regroup, plan again, and keep going. You can do it!