What is Executive Function? The 12 Skills That Help You Get Things Done.

If you're short on time, here is the "cheat sheet" for understanding Executive Function (EF).

• The Definition: EF is the brain’s "management system" or "Air Traffic Controller"—it’s what helps you turn an idea into an action.

• The 12 Core Skills: We break EF down into 12 "buckets," including Task Initiation, Working Memory, Emotional Control, and Time Management.

• Strength vs. Struggle: We all have different EF profiles; when a skill feels impossible, it’s usually a sign of an overtaxed nervous system, not a lack of willpower

• A Productivity Reframe: These are tools for navigating a capitalist society, not a reflection of your character or value as a person.

What is Executive Function?

At its core, executive functions help you get things done. It's the brain's management system. While intelligence helps you brainstorm amazing ideas, executive function is the bridge that allows you to transfer those ideas from your mind into the concrete world.

These are the skills that allow you to plan, monitor, execute, and juggle between tasks.

Think of it as the 'Air Traffic Control' of the brain. Completing a simple task—like a work assignment or a household chore—actually requires a complex sequence: planning the steps, initiating the work, monitoring your progress, and managing your focus until the job is done. Your brain needs to switch between each of these executive function skills in order to complete any project.

What seems like a simple thing at first actually turns out to be the accumulation of multiple steps.

Executive function's importance in all areas of our lives cannot be overstated. It's the difference between having a goal and accomplishing that goal. When we experience executive dysfunction, we can feel frustrated, helpless, and hopeless in our ability to accomplish what matters to us most.

If you, a loved one, or a client are experiencing executive dysfunction, read on to learn more about the 12 executive functions. This is the first step to supporting yourself in increasing your executive function.

One Very Important Note:

I want to note that executive function skills are really beneficial to have when living in a capitalist society, if you choose or need to participate in that society under its rules. Some of these have no bearing on the quality of life of people in non-capitalist societies, such as those living in indigenous or some communal structures. Also, some neurodivergent people will find these difficult or impossible to improve, or not want to improve them — that's totally ok. Being good at these does not inherently make you "better" than someone else. They are simply skills you can choose to work on in order to increase the ease with which you engage in a capitalist society and how much you 'fit in' and 'succeed'.

Which Executive Functions are the Most Difficult for you?

• Response Inhibition
• Working Memory
• Emotional Control
• Task Initiation

See All Options

You can vote for more than one answer.

Why 12 Executive Functions?

Specific executive function skills have been split up in many ways, from as few as 3 to as many as 40! I've found that the splitting them into 12 buckets minimizes the number of skills to learn while also providing enough specificity to monitor improvements.

You can learn more about each of these 12 executive functions from the book The Smart but Scattered Guide to Success, which I highly recommend if you want advice for improving specific executive function.

After you read more about each executive function, let us know which ones are the most difficult for you in the poll above!

The 12 Executive Functions

Response Inhibition

The capacity to pause and think before you act or speak: Resisting the urge to say or do something gives you time to evaluate how your response will impact the situation.

• If you're strong in this skill, you are often calm during arguments, and consider your words and actions.

• If you're weak in this skill, you may find yourself putting your proverbial foot in your mouth and making snap decisions without considering all of the ramifications.

Working Memory

The ability to hold and manipulate information in your mind while performing complex tasks. It includes incorporating knowledge or experience from the past to apply to present or future tasks.

• If you're strong in this skill, you have no problem remembering things you need to do or commitments/appointments you've made. You can easily remember details and important information from the people in your life.

• If you're weak in this skill, you are very forgetful. You may lose track of critical competing information (such as forgetting about a doctor's appointment because of an emergency at work) or minor obligations (like a short homework assignment or picking up milk on the way home).

Emotional Control

The ability to manage internal emotions to stay engaged with your goals and tasks, or directing your behavior.

• If you're strong in this skill, you can keep your calm in stressful situations and emergencies (think of an EMT).

• If you're weak in this skill, you may find that when you're experiencing small-to-medium emotions, it's difficult or impossible for you to engage in tasks that you need to accomplish.

Task Initiation

The ability to begin a task in a timely and efficient manner without significant procrastination.

• If you're strong in this skill, you can easily and without much emotional struggle begin tasks right away, in fact you prefer to begin tasks right then. You don't need deadlines to motivate you.

• If you're weak in this skill, you find yourself putting things off for any number of reasons (perfectionism, the task appears too daunting, etc.). You are a chronic procrastinator!

Sustained Attention

The capacity to keep your attention on a situation or task, regardless of how bored, tired, or distractible you feel.

• If you're strong in this skill, you are able to continue through until a task is finished no matter how you feel about that task. You are able to defer gratification and screen out distractions.

• If you're weak in this skill, you struggle to finish tasks. You are easily distracted and subject to interruptions. You often run out of steam before completing the task and may find yourself toggling between multiple tasks simultaneously.

Planning/Prioritizing

The ability to create a roadmap for a goal and determine which steps are the most important.

• If you're strong in this skill, you excel at multistep tasks. You can visualize the final outcome and easily sequence the steps needed to get there. When there is a lot of complex information, you can also determine with ease what to focus on and what to disregard.

• If you're weak in this skill, you have a difficult time sifting through all of the information and determining where to start. You may become bogged down by minor details and forget where you are heading.

Organization

The ability to create and maintain systems to keep track of mental information or physical materials.

• If you are strong in this skill, your space looks neat and tidy, as does your mind. Every object, mental or physical, has its place in your space.

• If you are weak in this skill, you accumulate physical and mental clutter effortlessly, and cleaning it up is painful. Often, you can't locate physical objects in your space.

Time Management

The capacity to estimate how much time one has, how much time it will take to complete a particular task, how to allocate your time, and how to stay within deadlines. It also involves a sense that time is important.

• If you're strong in this skill, you easily meet deadlines, arrive on time, and accurately judge how long it will take to complete a task. If you're running low on time, you can adjust and speed up your pace.

• If you're weak in this skill, you have a particularly hard time with time estimation. You routinely underestimate how long it will take to accomplish a task, and may consistently feel the urge to do "just one more thing" before wrapping up in a space.

Flexibility

The ability to revise your plans in the face of change, such as a change in plans, obstacles, setbacks, new information, or mistakes.

• If you're strong in this skill, you 'go with the flow' and experience little to no distress when unexpected adjustments need to be made.

• If you're weak in this skill, you feel distress when needing to unexpectedly adjust your plans on the fly.

Metacognition

The ability to take a "bird's-eye view" of yourself to monitor how you problem-solve and self-evaluate in a particular situation (e.g. "How am I doing?" and "How did I do?").

• If you're strong in this skill, you are able to see the forest and the trees rather than just the trees. You are good at making connections between disparate concepts and experiences.

• If you're weak in this skill, you tend to have a hard time seeing the forest for the trees. You likely don't spend a lot of time in introspection. You also have a hard time "connecting the dots."

Goal-Directed Persistence

The capacity to create a goal, follow through until completion of the goal, and not be distracted by competing interests.

• If you're strong in this skill, you create long-term goals for yourself, pursue them, and put yourself back on track when you lose sight of them. You work to accomplish the goal no matter the obstacles.

• If you're weak in this skill, you don't set long-term goals and are happy to let the future unfold as it will. This may not bother you — that's totally ok.

Stress Tolerance

The capacity to thrive in stressful situations and to cope with uncertainty and performance demands.

• If you're high in stress tolerance, you might prefer a lifestyle that includes some amount of unpredictability — jobs where every day is different and there are many opportunities to learn and explore. At the extreme end, you might be called an "adrenaline junky".

• If you're low in stress tolerance, you like to know what's coming next and prefer it if it's something you're familiar with. You prefer jobs without a lot of pressure.

Moving from "Knowing" to "Doing"

Understanding the 12 executive functions is a massive first step, but for many—especially those of us who are neurodivergent or have experienced trauma—simply "knowing" isn't enough to break the cycle of overwhelm.

If you find that despite your best efforts, you haven't been able to improve your task initiation, goal-directed persistence, or any other executive function, you don't have to navigate it alone. I work with clients to move past the shame of executive dysfunction and build sustainable, nervous-system-friendly systems that actually work for your mind, body, and life.

Ready to build a roadmap that fits your life?

• For Mental Health Clinicians: Book a Consultation call with Lila - Master the "3-Step Framework" (Shame, Mindfulness, Skillfulness & Spontaneous Action) to better support your clients with complex executive dysfunction.

• For Clients: Book a Therapy Consultation – To address the roots of executive dysfunction—shame, trauma, and a lack of modeling.

• Download My Free Executive Function Resource Sheet – A quick guide for your pocket.

About Lila Low-Beinart 

Lila (she/her) is the founder of Divergent Paths Counseling, where she offers neurodiversity-affirming therapy and training. She specializes in working with autistic, ADHDer, and gifted/2e girls/women and gender expansive folxs, using contemplative, parts-work, and somatic approaches to support clients experiencing trauma, executive dysfunction, depression, and relationship difficulties.

Her trainings for mental health providers go beyond professional development, challenging the 'trance of normal' to foster deeper compassion and more effective support for neurodivergent clients. She also provides consultations for therapists, tailored workshops for mental health organizations and speaking engagements across a range of diverse organizations.