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Executive Function Theft
21–30 of 227 posts
Re: Executive Function Theft
#22On a side note, the author's example is exactly why I have chosen to not use FSAs. Sure, it saves me 20% or so since it's pre-tax money, but is my stress, time, executive function, and sanity all worth that? Plus if I screw up and don't spend the money or file something wrong, I lose it or pay penalties.
I am the same way, after having royally screwed up one year (on a similar employer-provided benefit, not a health FSA). I donated several thousand of my pre-tax dollars to the state of California because I missed a deadline and the funds were use-it-or-lose-it.
The ADHD tax is real, and this article calls out its mechanism exactly, though not by this name.
Re: Executive Function Theft
#23i call it "choice-gas" and yes it does run low and is expressly frustrating when it's constantly taxed needlessly.
a good example is microsoft outlook. meeting invites would pop a mandatory three way choice of "send the response now, send the response later or edit the response before sending" every time the accept button was pressed.
a truly infuriating case of eft.
Re: Executive Function Theft
#24The author is proposing that these “Workplace EFT” examples need some sort of fix, but I think it’s actual preferable to make the same decision as your coworkers and neglect them until they become a larger problem, since the alternative is taking them on by oneself and growing increasingly resentful that your coworkers don’t prioritize meeting notes or get well cards to the same extent you do. Otherwise, you’re really just inflicting you’re own personal expectations on everyone else instead of acknowledging that they have different standards than you do.
Re: Executive Function Theft
#25Oof, this hits close to home. during my tenure as a principal engineer at a certain startup, well known and loved in these parts. Anyway I was new to engineering leadership and this big initiative came down from above to migrate to k8s. team was excited to be done with the myriad adhoc scripts and duct tape infra. But it turned out the team was very junior, and I was green as a leader and manager. every day brought a quagmire of smaller, seemingly inconsequential tasks. i'd be midway through configuring a helm chart and someone would drop by, asking for a pairing session or help with something or another or my input on something unrelated or to sign off on some administrative document.
To make matters much worse, one week, an elm / functional programming purist in the team started making a lot of noise. they believed in sticking strictly to the core principles of elm and basically avoiding 3p dependencies like the plague. while they were generally respectful and i respected their dedication, it became another thing to juggle. trying to mediate between that guy and those more pragmatic about our deadlines was taxing.
I realized that amidst all this, my primary role of mentoring others and solving higher level engineering challenges was getting overshadowed by these micro-decisions and tasks. it was like being in the middle of a sea, trying to stay afloat, while holding onto a bundle of papers. EFT, as described here, is a term that captures this perfectly. it's so essential to be aware of it, especially in the tech world where the lines often blur between roles and responsibilities, and especially in engineering leadership. Love having a word for this now that I'm in a position to mentor people who are new to engineering leadership
Re: Executive Function Theft
#26I would say the best example of this is the "modern" privacy policy.
Re: Executive Function Theft
#27On a side note, the author's example is exactly why I have chosen to not use FSAs. Sure, it saves me 20% or so since it's pre-tax money, but is my stress, time, executive function, and sanity all worth that? Plus if I screw up and don't spend the money or file something wrong, I lose it or pay penalties.
This hits home as I sit here submitting FSA receipts tonight.
Re: Executive Function Theft
#28Accounts Payable implements as much friction as they can to avoid paying money. They think this is their job.
I see many companies treating their customers like criminals or slaves; many more than used to pull that stuff. It's only going to get worse.
Re: Executive Function Theft
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's not only denial of use. The perpetrator gains the output of the delegated effort. The sale goes through. The business continues to operate. Paychecks get signed. The home's functionality is maintained. When the "non-promotable work" of a firm, community, or family gets done "the rising tide raises all boats" if that work is necessary for the organization's profitability and/or autopoiesis. I am confused as to ho…
Your example is not what's claimed. In your analogy, it would be more like I'd contacted the housing association to force you to mow your driveway, denying you the time to properly manicure your lawn. I'm not gaining any improvement to my lawn in that case.
I think you are both on the wrong track.
The claim is that, instead of you mowing your lawn, you get someone else to do it. What you gain is time, and reduced cognitive load.
It's kind of a childish thing to say about your manager since that is just how the cookie crumbles, but still a real exchange. Managers delegate certain tasks so they have time to focus on other tasks. Some managers delegate almost everything and leave you wondering if they do anything at all.
The person in the article feels their partner is also delegating to them and so they feel as though they have no executive function by the end of the day.
In regards to work though, that is just how some jobs are structured. You get paid to take certain load off of your 2IC or Manager or whoever.
Re: Executive Function Theft
#30The fallacy here is assuming planning something is draining or bad for you. It more has to do with how much you enjoy the thing. I think couples have arguments about the thing neither of them wants to do. But if one enjoys planning the holiday for example they will just do it and it wont feel like EFT. I definitely get bank EFT (pun not intended), I deal with this by having recurring todos with all the links and stuf…
> The fallacy here is assuming planning something is draining or bad for you. Executive Function is a term commonly thrown around in the autistic and ADHD spaces. When read in that context, it makes a *lot* more sense. From what I hear, neurotypical people have a much higher tolerance for bullshit work and wasteful process. I wouldn't know what that feels like. Beyond 1 or 2 wasted steps and I get mad that someone ha…
Have you seen Avengers? As the Hulk says, "That's the secret... I'm always angry." Learning to control your anger is a life skill, one that different people have different aptitude for, but one that nobody should give up on.