Ep 79: Executive Function Series #3 Working Memory

Send us a voice message at speakpipe.com/learntothrivewithadhd

In this deep-dive episode of our executive function series, I share practical strategies that finally helped my working memory after years of struggling. You'll discover why our brains constantly "wipe the whiteboard clean" and how to build systems that actually stick.

📌 Key Topics:

• Why I used to forget what I just read or why I walked into a room
• The externalization tools that transformed my relationship with information
• How to stop relying on your brain to remember everything
• The surprising benefits of chunking information
• Managing mental overload through visualization techniques
• Why "I'll just remember it" is the biggest lie we tell ourselves

🗣️ Featured Quote: "Working memory is kind of like the whiteboard in your brain. It holds on to information temporarily, but as soon as new information comes in, the old stuff gets erased."

💡 Strategy Breakdown:

• Create a sustainable capture system using post-its, notebooks and digital tools
• Break information into chunks of three items at a time
• Use visualization techniques and memory palaces
• Make external tools work FOR your brain, not against it

🎯 Coming Up Next: Join us next week as we continue our executive function series with more practical strategies.

🔑 Key Takeaway: Working memory support isn't about forcing yourself to remember more—it's about finding the right combination of tools and mindset that work with your unique brain.

Connect with Mande: 

Learn more about private coaching with Mande: https://learntothrivewithadhd.com/services/

Free Resources: https://learntothrivewithadhd.com/freeresources/ 

Website: https://www.learntothrivewithadhd.com/ 

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/learntothrivewithadhd 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learntothrivewithadhd/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/learntothrivewithadhd/

#executivefunctions #adhd #workingmemory #brainstrategies #adhdsupport #adhdstrategies #adhdcommunity #memorypalace #externaltools

Click here for full show notes.

CLICK HERE for more resources. We're on this journey together!

Transcript

Let's talk about working memory and how to make it work. This is part three in the executive function series. I used to feel like I was constantly forgetting things, whether it was what I just read, what someone said or even why I walked into a room. If that sounds familiar, you're not alone. Working memory challenges can be frustrating, but I found a few things that made it a huge difference for me.

So let's talk about them. But first, why working memory feels impossible while working memory is kind of like the whiteboard in your brain. It holds on to information temporarily, but as soon as new information comes in, the old stuff gets erased. I would hear about a book I wanted to read, and a moment later I couldn't remember the title.

It was like my brain had just wiped the board clean before I could even write it down. It wasn't just inconvenient. It's exhaust steam. So I started experimenting with different ways to work with my memory instead of fighting against it, and found some strategies that actually helped. I'm going to walk you through what worked for me, and maybe you'll find something here that works for you too.

Three key strategies to help your working memory. Number one, externalize. Stop relying on your brain alone. Write everything down. I used to try to keep everything in my head, but now I send things somewhere I can find them later. Used as searchable digital tool. That's super helpful. But I'm always having ideas. Or there's a book I want to read, or there's a sentence I heard.

And I'm constantly jotting them down on Post-its. I mean, it's a simple thing that we've all used before. And you'll notice I have like, a stack. And then I'll use a notebook. A dedicated notebook. I know lots of you have tons and tons of notebooks, but one dedicated notebook. Just pick one for now. You'll use it up. And

Order A.I. and text in myself for easy capture. That way you can have voice notes. Trello is my central hub. I know I talk about Trello all the time, but I love to take all this information.

So I'll have a day where I grab the notebook that I have right next to me. I grab the post-its, I go through the text or the order. I and I transfer everything that's still important into one central hub that is searchable. So whatever that is for you,

I do not try to remember appointments when I'm setting an appointment.

It immediately goes into my phone.

I do not trust myself to remember that that is happening.

That one habit alone has saved me so much mental stress.

Number two, break information into chunks. I realized that my brain does better with small, manageable bits of information. Ever feel like your brain just shuts down when faced with too much at once? That's because working memory has limits. I found that if I, by breaking things down, it helps a lot. Instead of trying to memorize everything at once, I focus on three items at a time.

When tackling big tasks, they break them into small, actionable steps, step by step checklists help reduce mental clutter. A trick I use when grocery shopping. I group items into categories produce dairy snacks so that I don't have to remember a long list of random things. It's way easier to recall categories than a bunch of individual items.

Number three, use visualization techniques. I started turning words into pictures, and it's a game changer.

a big moment for me was realizing that when I was stressed about not remembering something, I was actually making it harder to remember. But when I trusted myself more, the information came back more easily. I create a mental picture of what I need to remember. I use memory palaces. I don't know if you've read about that before.

imagining placing items in familiar locations. I make things kind of weird and funny. The sillier the image, the more it sticks.

A real life example.

Every Christmas, I make a ton of cookies. And I kept losing track of how many cups of flour I had added, which meant restarting multiple times. Now I use a mini abacus and I move a bit for each cup of flour.

All right. So try one of these strategies today. It's your turn. Which of these if you're on YouTube, say, in the comments. Which of these are you going to try or what's your working memory trick?

A book I really enjoy that talks about all kinds of working memory tricks is brain hacks. And one of them in there that's just really simple is trusting your memory more kind of what I talked about earlier. But, you know, if you write something down and you tend to want to like, look at it instead of looking at it to try to, you know, transfer it somewhere else, say those verification codes that we get on our phone all the time.

Right. Trust yourself that you know that information. We don't memorize phone numbers anymore. But that makes me think of an example that, you know, the phone number rather than checking the phone number, but really testing your memory will help to strengthen it. So this is a quick one. Today. I do like I said, I want to know where your tricks might be or if there was anything in here that would be helpful to you.

I know the little abacus thing I only showed real quick. You can get these on Amazon and I just set it right in front of me when I'm doing something that I might lose count of. So if you're on YouTube, like, and subscribe, hit the bell for more ADHD friendly strategies. If you're on the podcast, I'd love for you to rate and review on iTunes and we can get all of the fun ADHD brains together.

I know this can be frustrating when your memory doesn't seem to cooperate,

but small consistent changes like the ones I shared today can really add up. So imagine being able to recall details more easily. Stay on top of your day. Feel less overwhelmed. You can absolutely get there.

And remember, progress is better than perfection. Keep at it.

Remember, our brains are busy, and that means that that whiteboard in your brain is getting information constantly. When I was telling you that example of baking the cookies. Right. How many things do you think I was thinking about when I was doing those cookies? And I was probably listening to a book or a podcast or listening to music at the same time.

Probably had someone in the room that was talking and there's so much input that we're always getting. No wonder our working memory is having challenges.

So do what you can do to help yourself, to support yourself. I will see you next week.