what is executive function?
eleven cognitive skills your brain uses to get things done.
1planning and prioritisation
what needs doing, what matters most, and in what order
2organisation
using systems to keep on top of things
3time management
knowing where your time goes, estimating it and using it well
4task initiation
starting without procrastinating
5sustained attention
staying focused (even when hard)
6working memory
holding information in your head while you use it
7response inhibition
thinking before you act
8emotional regulation
managing your feelings (and what to do about them)
9cognitive flexibility
adapting when plans or situations change
10goal-directed persistence
having and sticking to a goal
11metacognition
noticing your own patterns, and thinking about your thinking
everyone has all eleven. everyone's got stronger ones and weaker ones.
the useful part
executive function skills can be trained. this is well established and it's what the coaching is built on. it's slower than a life hack and it works better.
why coaching, rather than a book
the mix is what makes one person brilliant at starting things and hopeless at finishing them, and another person the reverse. and most of the problems people bring me aren't one skill either. they're three or four working against each other at the same time.
take being late. it looks like one problem. it's usually:
- 3time management (you genuinely thought that small last thing would only take ten minutes)
- 4task initiation (you need to start getting ready to leave but can't)
- 6working memory (you have everything and get to the door but suddenly can't remember where you put your keys even though you had them a minute ago)
- 8emotional regulation (you're now stressed, which makes everything worse)
that's why every piece of advice you've had about leaving earlier has bounced off. and it's why reading about one skill at a time only gets you so far. coaching looks at the combination, which is the thing that's actually happening.
want to know where you stand?
the free quiz takes five-ish minutes and gives you a profile across all eleven, with your weakest skill flagged.
prefer paper? download the printable version. free, no email needed.
