Does this sound familiar?
You’re in the midst of a busy work day – juggling multiple projects at once – but you find yourself thinking about what you’ll have for dinner or how you’ll coordinate your weekend plans.
Then your phone buzzes. You reach for it, completely throwing yourself into another train of thought. Or perhaps you absentmindedly reach for your phone and begin doom scrolling (without even fully realizing you’re doing so!).
And this sort of jumping from task to task (sometimes, forgetting what you were even thinking about or doing) continues all day long…
Talk about exhausting!
But if this sounds like a typical day (or similar), you aren’t alone. In fact, technology has made it that much easier to have problems with:
- context or task switching
- planning
- focusing
- time management
It doesn’t mean you’re lazy. Nor does it mean you have an innate personality flaw (that we know of, anyway!).
And here’s the interesting tidbit: All of the above might come down to one key set of mental skills called executive function.
Executive functioning controls how you plan, focus, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully. It’s what helps you stay organized, manage your time effectively, and adapt when plans change unexpectedly.
And if this sounds like something you’re struggling with, well, the good news is that there are ways to improve it.
But let’s take a closer look at what executive function entails.
- What does executive function involve exactly?
- Why is it so important?
- When do you develop these skills?
- What part of the brain is responsible for this?
- Do people with ADHD struggle with executive function?
Why Is Executive Function So Important?
Executive function doesn’t just keep you organized – it also impacts your mental health and physical health, as well as your quality of life. For instance, poor executive functioning can lead to not just disorganized chaos in your life but also impact your ability to get a job, get good grades, and maintain relationships (more on this in a second).
First, let’s do a deep dive; below, we list the primary factors that executive function controls and impacts.
1. Planning and Organizing
Planning and organizing are the foundations of executive function.
This helps you break big tasks into smaller ones, propelling you closer to completing your goals (or, at the very least, making your goals appear more achievable, which can count for a lot when it comes to motivation).
In other words, it’s the ability to take your time to plan and think about the best course of action. In turn, this can help you avoid major hurdles and use your time effectively.
2. Working Memory
Working memory is where we temporarily store information as we use it.
For instance (and yes, I might be dating myself here!), working memory allows you to remember a full phone number as you or right before you go to dial it.
Poor working memory, though? Well, this results in losing your train of thought or struggling with performing complex tasks that require remembering multiple components (like multiple numbers in a phone number!).
3. Cognitive Flexibility
Cognitive flexibility, just as these two words state, is the ability to change your thinking or behavior based on the situation or conditions. It allows you to overcome any thought patterns or behaviors that are habitual, especially in the face of new information.
Yet, this doesn’t necessarily refer to “daily habits.” Rather, it allows you to change the way you’re thinking, change your mind, or think of many concepts at once.
4. Inhibition
Often called “inhibitory control” and considered one of the core executive functions, researchers state that it:
“involves being able to control one’s attention, behavior, thoughts, and/or emotions to override a strong internal predisposition or external lure, and instead do what’s more appropriate or needed.”
Without this skill, we would merely blow in the wind according to our impulses, desires, or old brain wiring. In other words, this might be one side of executive function that is related to self-discipline and our ability to focus on the task at hand, without necessarily having instant gratification.
Super important if you want to get stuff done! Also important for ensuring you stay on track toward your goals and don’t get swayed by what might feel good in the moment.
5. Self-Regulation
Riding the coat-tails of inhibition above, self-regulation often refers to the ability of each individual to manage their emotions, behaviors, and responses. In turn, this can support healthy relationships, cognitive flexibility, stress management, and so much more!
6. Attention
The modern world isn’t exactly kind to this executive function, potentially making “attention” even more important than other skills explored here.
When it comes down to it, strong attention skills help you maintain concentration during challenging or boring tasks. It also involves the ability to control your attention, or notice when your attention has veered off-course.
Related Article: Active Listening: What Is It & 7 Techniques to Improve Your Skills
7. Time Management
By now, you’re probably noticing a bit of a trend.
All of these sub-cognitive skills under executive function feed into one another and influence one another, including your ability to manage your time.
Time management skills – estimating how long tasks will take and allocating time appropriately – help you pace yourself throughout your day. It prevents you from falling behind on deadlines and enables you to stick to your commitments or obligations.
So, in many ways, time management also flows into all of the above. Things can take longer if your attention isn’t as good as it could be. Things can take longer if you give in to every desire or impulse in each given moment…. You get the idea.
8. Problem-Solving & Decision-Making
Problem-solving combines multiple executive functioning skills to address life’s or work’s challenges. It involves identifying problems, generating solutions, and implementing the best approach (AKA making a good decision).
When problem-solving and decision-making skills are strong, you can easily adapt to new hurdles and new situations and make decisions aligned with your values and goals.
It may also help reduce decision fatigue – something that arises when we exhaust ourselves with the inability to make a decision or have too many decisions to make, leading to exhaustion.
Simply put, when you streamline tasks, focus on what matters most, and limit your choices, you ease the mental load that comes with decision-making.
What Are the Effects of Poor Executive Functioning?
Executive functioning primarily occurs in the prefrontal cortex (the area in the front of your brain). But here’s the kicker: The prefrontal cortex is one of the last brain areas to fully develop, not reaching maturity until around age 25.
This is why teenagers tend to be more impulsive than mature adults. It’s also why young children may struggle with tasks like following multi-step instructions, regulating emotions, or thinking ahead.
When executive functioning is impaired – whether due to age, injury, neurodevelopmental conditions like ADHD, or mental health issues like anxiety or depression – it can lead to:
- Difficulty planning and organizing
- Trouble starting or completing tasks
- Poor impulse control
- Emotional outbursts
- Forgetfulness or trouble holding information in working memory
- Struggles with time management and prioritization
- Difficulty with social interactions
- Daily life management
And these factors can impact school, work, relationships, and overall well-being.
Here’s another twist: Researchers theorize that procrastination can arise from impairments in executive functioning. In particular, it’s thought to be linked to time management, attention, and self-regulation. And interestingly, this also plays a role in ADHD (more on this below).
Why Do Children Need to Develop Executive Function Skills?
Inevitably, the development of proper executive function skills allows us to learn and thrive.
In contrast, if we don’t develop these essential skills from childhood to the age of 25, we might really struggle with some perceived “basics” of life.
But, like we said, these are skills, so they can be improved at any point in time (arguably, this is always easier as children, but not impossible for the average adult!).
At the same time, the youngest generations today are potentially facing a serious executive function problem.
While digital tools are helpful, constant notifications from phones, apps, and devices overwhelm already-taxed attention systems – depleting executive function resources, like prioritizing interruptions and filtering out noise versus relevant information.
And yup, this could even be linked to the rising rates of ADHD (beyond our ability to diagnose such conditions today). For example, experts theorize that ADHD is associated with deficits in working memory, inhibition, problem-solving, and self-regulation.
Is Technology Messing With Our Executive Function?
Could this all be related to the technological age? Maybe.
Social media and digital entertainment provide immediate gratification that can undermine long-term planning and goals – and this instant reward makes it harder to stick with tasks, particularly those that require sustained effort.
Meanwhile, multitasking, which technology tends to encourage, can further deplete our executive functioning resources and the development of these skills. In fact, despite feeling productive, task-switching actually reduces efficiency and increases mental fatigue.
The sheer volume of information available online can also paralyze any decision-making; too many options and sources can overwhelm the brain’s ability to process and choose effectively.
At the same time, it’s a bit of a paradox. Some apps, like project management, calendars, and more, can help manage executive function skills more efficiently.
So, what does this all mean?
Well, if we zoom out a bit, all of the above tend to support the ideology behind “digital detoxes,” as well as the drive of many experts to limit or avoid screen use for younger individuals and children.
It pinpoints why our mental health may be suffering even more in this modern era, despite convenience being at our fingertips.
If we’re struggling with achieving our goals or feeling productive and fulfilled in life, everything sort of comes crashing down. We end up feeling directionless, potentially a little useless, bored, unmotivated, and more, leading to a mix of ingredients that set the stage for declining mental well-being.
Related Article: Your Ultimate Mindfulness Guide: Becoming More Happy and Less Stressed
But Let’s End Things on a High Note…
You can improve your executive function skills.
While, yes, as adults, neuroplasticity (AKA re-wiring the brain) is a bit harder, it’s not impossible – especially with a little bit of committed effort.
In fact, if you have kids, you might want to do this as a family and work toward a brighter and easier future together, where your mental well-being and executive skillset come first.
This might mean:
- no screens after a certain time of day (or during a set interval)
- planning activities that don’t involve technology
- learning about and committing to systems that help you manage and prioritize (like calendars, ranking of urgency or importance, etc.)
- setting app time limits so you don’t continually feel yourself getting pulled into scrolling and accidentally interrupting the tasks at-hand or the present moment
Executive functioning is similar to muscles in that these skills can be learned and adapted.
It’s a real flex, especially in this modern, technologically-driven world. And when you start realizing how important it is (any ‘aha’ moments above?) and implementing changes in your life, you’ll believe it, too!
Read Next: Digital Detox Challenge: Put Down Your Devices!
Photo by ANTONI SHKRABA production
