Executive Dysfunction

When the frazzled librarian loses the plot

Executive function is like your brain’s internal librarian—the one responsible for organizing tasks, keeping track of what’s next, prioritizing the chaos, filing new information, and remembering where you left your metaphorical glasses. She’s resourceful, hardworking, and deeply overwhelmed.

Now imagine that librarian trying to sort a mountain of unsorted files while being bombarded with 37 random requests per second. Someone wants to remember the milk. Someone else just got a great idea for a business. A third voice is screaming about the laundry. Oh, and the fire alarm might be going off. Again.

That’s what executive dysfunction feels like for a lot of us with ADHD. You want to get things done. But the librarian is buried in card catalogues and post-it notes and your brain is all, “Wait, what was I doing again?”

What executive dysfunction can look like:

  • You write a to-do list and immediately forget it exists
  • You know what needs to happen, but you can’t get your brain to hit “start”
  • Everything feels equally urgent and equally impossible
  • You start six things and finish none of them
  • You get overwhelmed by the very idea of organizing anything—mental or physical
  • You bounce between distractions because prioritizing feels like picking a favourite star in the sky

It’s not about laziness. It’s about librarian overload.

People assume ADHD is about not caring or not trying. Nope. It’s about your internal systems—aka the librarian—being completely maxed out. It’s not that you’re unwilling. It’s that the brain’s filing system is backed up, and every task feels like trying to alphabetize chaos while the power flickers on and off.

What can help?

In the full module, we’ll go into the nitty-gritty, but here’s your sneak peek at helping the librarian keep her cool:

  • Chunk it down – The librarian can’t file the whole stack at once. One task at a time. One card at a time.
  • External cues – Sticky notes, whiteboards, alarms, checklists: she needs a visual trail to follow.
  • Set the scene – A consistent workspace or routine = less chaos for her to wade through.
  • Body doubling – Sometimes she needs a quiet co-worker in the corner so she doesn’t wander off mid-thought.
  • Be kind – The librarian is doing her best with a drawer full of flying index cards and not enough spoons.

This section will link out to a full Executive Function Deep Dive, where we’ll explore:

  • Working Memory Woes – When the card you just pulled vanishes before you file it
  • Task Switching Trouble – Juggling multiple requests while forgetting the original task
  • Planning & Prioritizing – The librarian’s “where do I even start?” panic
  • Initiation Inertia – When she stares at the pile and just… freezes
  • Emotional Regulation – When your brain spirals and your feelings start reshelving books
  • Self-Monitoring – Tracking your progress when the filing system is mid-mutiny
Deep Dive