As I reported in my Oxymoron blog, an important area for the ADHD executive to develop is having an executive assistant who takes care of details and helps manage the underactive nature of the pre-frontal cortex of the brain.

In my practice, I’ve customized systems for executive assistance in somewhat of an unknowing way. Even though I didn’t have a full understanding of my own diagnosis of ADHD, I knew enough about my challenges that when I opened my practice in 1999, my wife and I agreed with a resounding “yes!” that an assistant was definitely needed. The perfect answer showed up in my assistant of 11 + years, Kim, AKA wife # 2.

The need for an assistant isn’t a luxury, yet a vital necessity based on the rate of distraction, interruption, frustration and frenzy an ADHD adult can create, or others will experience, as a result of being around them. The nature of an underactive pre-frontal cortex (PFC) says the entire story. I view the PFC as the “executive decision agent of the brain” responsible for focus, concentration and motivation, along with planning, prioritizing and evaluating. Therefore, without an assistant the vital “functioning” of managing details in your business will very likely be wrought with chaos, stress and intensity.

An assistant can help with the boring, routine, monotonous details of a business that can quickly become molasses for the PFC of an executive. Therefore, creating a system for follow-through, scheduling, organization, etc., are tasks that an executive assistant can implement and hold the executive accountable.

An assistant can also help with developing routines for consistency in an effort to prevent the “catch-as-catch-can” where too many details fall through the cracks, only to be reached in some archaic way by staying up all night, or ingesting dangerous amounts of caffeine to complete something.

A final reason to have an assistant is to think out loud and bounce off ideas. An underactive PFC doesn’t automatically pause to consider consequences as it boldly drives forward where no active PFC has gone before. Having an assistant to quietly listen (well, maybe not quietly) and offer feedback, helps the ADHD executive become more grounded, to think out loud, and push the “pause button” to evaluate, plan, and prioritize the details of their business.

For me, Kim’s administrative assistant role also serves as a thriving strategy of being the first layer of relationship, providing a grounding force for clients. My administrative assistance also includes my proverbial third wife, Shelly, a gifted bookkeeper who comes in on Fridays to catch any missing details and to keep the financial systems in check. All of this so the executive writing this blog doesn’t find himself in the detail hell of the IRS tax code.

The need for customized administrative support is a vital necessity for anyone diagnosed with ADHD in order to avoid the pitfalls looming ahead without such a system in place. It may take one assistant; it may take two; or even three. Trust me; you’ll enjoy the benefits of an active PFC working in your favor.