I Struggle With Executive Function — Here's How I Stay Organized & Productive

As adults, we use executive function skills constantly. They're critical for accomplishing daily tasks, achieving long-term goals, and operating as successful, functioning members of society. 

And I suck at them. No, really—I wish I were spinning an exaggerated tale here for the sake of hyperbole, but my subpar executive function skills maneuver an all-day, haphazard combat between me and my brain. 

From procrastination to time management, I have a seriously difficult time with executive function. But struggling with such a critical cognitive skill that affects my job, relationships, and personal goals has forced me to test out different strategies and techniques that help me stay focused, organized, and productive. 

I'm still working on winning the war, but these tried-and-true tips help me improve my executive function (and I'm winning way more battles than I used to). 

Executive function is a set of cognitive skills that help us plan, prioritize, focus attention on, and successfully execute tasks. Essentially, executive function is the bridge between wanting to do something and actually getting it done. 

Some examples of executive function skills include:

These highly important skills are mediated in the prefrontal cortex and regulated by key neurotransmitters1—including dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine. 

As someone who sometimes finds it challenging to regulate her neurotransmitter levels (especially dopamine, the reward and motivation hormone that helps us focus, concentrate, make decisions, and accomplish our goals), this science-y explanation of how executive function is modulated makes a lot of sense.

Everyone is unique, so I can't speak to what executive function (or lack thereof) looks like for others. That said, here are some examples of how suboptimal executive function skills manifest for me:

Have you ever actually thought about what time is? Honestly, it's very strange to me that we all schedule our lives by this human-made, abstract concept that doesn't actually exist. 

Oof. This is a big one. I often build up a task so much in my head that it becomes more and more difficult for me to even start on it. 

And once I finally stop procrastinating and just freaking start already, nine times out of 10 I'll discover it isn't nearly as challenging as I imagined it to be. 

Most of the time, I even enjoy what I'm doing once I'm doing it (monotonous admin work and chores included). It's the starting that's insanely difficult for me. 

Once I'm actually in the flow of a task, I'm locked in—hyperfocused, even. I get in a groove and feel unstoppable. 

But if something interrupts me or I need to suddenly switch to another task? Game over. All of that progress is lost, and I need to build up my focus on the new task now, which takes a lot of mental energy. 

Generally speaking, if I switch from task to task too quickly, it's a good way to get the bare minimum of a lot of things accomplished. (Talk about unproductive.)

As we've already established, I have a very loose grasp on the concept of time. As a result, my foresight isn't as strong as I'd like it to be. 

What does this mean? Well, since I can't fully understand the impact a task will have on my long-term goals, it's difficult for me to decide which one is most important right now. I tend to over-plan to try to get these concepts on paper—which is essential for remembering tasks I need to complete and keeping them organized but can become a bit of a time suck if I'm not careful. 

Knowing this about myself, I often ask someone (like my boss or my partner) which project or task I should prioritize first so I don't get mentally stuck analyzing where to start or what's most important. 

If you're thinking Holy shit, I'm amazed this woman gets anything done with all these daily obstacles, then first of all, same. Second, I'm guessing you don't struggle as much (or as often) with executive function. 

But if you've made it this far, it's safe to assume you also find some of these executive function skills challenging. It's easy to get caught up in a spiral of shame and frustration when executive function doesn't come easily (especially when Googling "executive function" brings you to child development articles and you're a fully grown 27-year-old), but the truth is that executive function isn't always simple or easy!

We all have unique brains that work differently, and if executive function is not your strength, I'm willing to bet you excel in other cognitive functions—like creativity, emotional intelligence, or divergent thinking (aka "thinking outside the box"). 

These are all incredibly valuable traits that shape who you are and what you bring to the table in professional and personal settings. That said, we still need to utilize our executive function skills to help optimize these qualities and accomplish tasks in an effective manner.

Here are the top things I do to work with (not against) my brain and enhance my executive function:

Struggling with executive function can make day-to-day life pretty challenging, but with some targeted tools and strategies, you can enhance your executive function skills and bolster cognitive task performance. 

For a simple and effective daily tool that promotes mental clarity, task performance, attention, and concentration, I seriously cannot recommend mbg's focus+ enough.* 

To learn more about the science behind the incredible nootropic supplement, see what neuroscientists and dietitians have to say about the focus+ formula here.