By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – August 5, 2024
Knowing what to do is often the easy part, especially for folks with ADHD. A phrase coined by ADHD expert Dr. Russell Barkley captures the essence of ADHD that says it’s not a disorder of knowing what to do but rather a disorder of doing what you know. In other words, you know you’re supposed to do something, but you don’t actually do it.
Why? Because with ADHD, you are dealing with the challenge of impaired executive function, which makes executing so difficult. Executive functions are what enable us to do what we know, so that being able actually to execute comes from the impairment. When executive functions are impaired, executing even the simplest of tasks can pose significant challenges.
So, how do you overcome it? Especially when it comes to tasks that are boring or tedious. The key lies in implementing better systems and strategies. Whether it’s setting reminders or breaking tasks into manageable steps, finding what works for you is crucial in bridging the gap between knowing and doing.
When you can’t hear the ticking of your internal clock, or when you’ve been reminded a thousand times but still can’t activate, you need better systems in place. Please check out my interview with Dr Ari Tuckman on Attention Talk Video, “ADHD: Does Knowing What to Do Mean You Can Do It? Not!
If you need help navigating these waters, I invite you to contact me so we can work out a course together. Also, I’d enjoy hearing from you, so please post your comments below.
TRANSCRIPT:
Jeff Copper: Welcome everybody to this edition of Attention Talk Video. I’m your host, attention coach, Jeff Copper. We’re here with Dr. Ari Tuckman. Dr. Tuckman, welcome to the show.
Dr. Tuckman: Hey, it’s always a pleasure to be here.
Jeff Copper: Our topic today is there’s a difference between knowing what to do and actually doing it. Can you speak to that?
Dr. Tuckman: Sure. Knowing is often the easy part, especially for folks with ADHD. Russell Barkley has a great line, which I think really captures the essence of ADHD where he says, “ADHD is not a disorder of knowing what to do. It’s a disorder of doing what you know,” that folks with ADHD, if you’re a kid, you know you’re supposed to turn in your homework on time. If you’re an adult, you know you’re supposed to show up to places on time and put stuff away. If anything, folks at ADHD know this better than anybody else in the world because they’ve had far more reminders and lectures about the importance of doing this stuff. And obviously, if being told it was enough, I would think after a thousand times of being told, maybe it might’ve stuck, and if it didn’t stick, then maybe there’s something else going on there.
Jeff Copper: One of the things that I always like, and he says think of the back half of your brain as the knowledge side or the school. You go and you fill that, but the front part, the prefrontal cortex, that’s the execution side. And I’ve written some articles called, “Failing Forward at the School of Hard Knocks,” because of the front half of your brain, the only school you can get a degree in is the school of hard knocks and failing forward, and the back half is knowledge. And the way that’s articulated, I think a lot, it puts things into perspective. Those with ADHD, they have the knowledge, but it’s the executive function of actually executing that becomes the difficulty.
Dr. Tuckman: Right, and that is. It’s the executive functions that enable us to do what we know.
Jeff Copper: Now knowing that said, there are things, as I’ve learned, ADHD is a self-regulation issue, and those with ADHD, there’s some things they can pay attention to, particularly if they might be a very spatial thinker, whatever, but there are some things they can execute, but the focus is to find out that and cast them in that career as opposed to trying to focus on something they struggle with.
Dr. Tuckman: Agree. Yeah, definitely, so the more interesting something is, the easier it’s going to be to motivate for it. But if your… It’s just one of those things. If your internal clock doesn’t work, doesn’t tick loudly enough, you need louder external clocks. If you tend to misplace things, it’s better to have systems and habits and just by the way, less stuff around so you have fewer places to lose things. So it just means that you need to do a little bit more work on the outside if what you got going inside isn’t quite getting the job done.
Jeff Copper: Well, Dr. Tuckman, it’s always a pleasure to have you on the show. Thank you very much.
Dr. Tuckman: Okay.
Jeff Copper: And for our viewers that want to learn more, drtuckman.com?
Dr. Tuckman: Actually adultadhdbook.com.
Jeff Copper: That’s right, adultadhdbook.com. With that, we’ll catch you on another edition of Attention Talk Video. Take care.