Tag: executive function

A single worn teaspoon rests on a muted linen surface, lit softly from one side with generous empty space around it.

What Is Spoon Theory? A Guide for Neurodivergent People and Those Around Them

Spoon theory started in chronic illness communities but has become one of the most useful frameworks in neurodivergent spaces. This article explains where it came from, what it means for autistic and ADHD people specifically, and how to use it practically, both for yourself and for understanding someone in your life who lives with limited, unpredictable energy.

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Person sitting on a sofa, looking thoughtfully at their phone in a warm, softly lit living room.

They’re Not Ignoring You: How to Support Someone Who Struggles with Phone Calls

If someone you love watches their phone ring and doesn’t pick up, it’s probably not about you. This guide explains why phone calls are genuinely hard for many neurodivergent people, and offers practical, low-effort shifts for partners, friends, family members, and colleagues who want to communicate in a way that actually works.

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Soft, muted illustration of a sparse home workspace with an open laptop, a handwritten notepad with crossed-out notes, and a mug of tea on a wooden desk by an overcast window, with one hand resting near the keyboard, suggesting a difficult task still in progress.

When the Job Hunt Is the Job: Neurodivergent and Looking for Work

Job hunting is hard. Job hunting while neurodivergent — from a standing start of redundancy, gardening leave, and a nervous system not built for relentless self-promotion — is something else entirely. This article covers the application process, interviews, disclosure decisions, psychometric testing, and the emotional load, from someone writing in the middle of it.

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Soft, muted illustration of a quiet sitting room with an armchair by a window, a steaming mug on a wooden table, and an unopened book resting under a hand in an orange sleeve, suggesting a paused, uncertain moment of rest.

When Time Off Isn’t Restful: Neurodivergent Brains and Unstructured Days

For many neurodivergent people, holidays and unstructured days can feel more draining than a working week — not because something is wrong, but because structure does more cognitive work than most people realise. This article explores why time off doesn’t always feel restful, and offers gentle, low-pressure approaches to making unstructured time a little more inhabitable.

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Illustration of a calm classroom. A teacher stands at the front, and several students sit at desks. One student near the back is quiet and focused, with soft abstract shapes around their head hinting at hidden mental effort.

Supporting Quietly Neurodivergent Students: A Guide for Teachers and Lecturers

Quietly neurodivergent students are often the ones teachers and lecturers never worry about. They’re present, polite, and doing well on paper – but may be masking hard and running on empty. This guide offers practical, low-drama ways to redesign teaching and respond more gently, without putting anyone under a spotlight.

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Student planning assignments at a desk with a colour-coded 4-week calendar, imagining their future self happily holding a submitted essay.

Planning Assignments When You’re Time Blind: A Step-by-Step Guide

Planning assignments when you’re time blind isn’t about suddenly becoming a perfectly organised student. It’s about turning one vague, overwhelming essay into small, visible steps that your brain can actually work with. This guide walks through a real example, then offers 4-week and 1-week templates you can reuse to give “future you” fewer last-minute crises.

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Illustration of a person overwhelmed at their desk, surrounded by screens and flying email icons showing huge unread counts.

Taming Email and Messages When Your Neurodivergent Brain Is Already Full

Email and messages are meant to keep us connected, but for many neurodivergent people they mostly arrive as a steady stream of demands and tiny emergencies. This piece looks at why inbox overload is so common, and offers small, realistic ways to use quiet hours, simple triage, templates and clearer expectations so email feels a little less hostile to your already-full brain.

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Vague Descriptions at Work

Vague Instructions Are an Access Issue

“Can you just pull something together?” can feel like a small request, but for many autistic and ADHD people it creates a huge amount of hidden work. This article looks at why vague instructions are an access issue, how our brains juggle multiple interpretations at once, and offers simple, kind scripts and questions to get clearer outcomes, deadlines and formats without feeling difficult.

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Neurodivergent Meetings

Surviving Meetings When Your Brain Is Already Full

Meetings can look like “where the real work happens” from the outside and like sensory and cognitive overload from the inside. This article explores why meetings are so tiring for autistic and ADHD people, shares how I cope with agendas, notes, quiet fidgets and reset time, and offers small, realistic tweaks that can make your next meeting a little less overwhelming.

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