12 EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS
Executive Functions are the skills behind getting things done. They help you turn an intention into action. They are involved throughout the process, from deciding what matters and beginning the work to staying with it, adjusting when necessary, and bringing it to completion.
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Cognitive Flexibility
Cognitive Flexibility is is your brain’s ability to shift gears mentally, emotionally, and behaviorally.
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Emotional Regulation
Emotional Management is your brain’s ability to regulate your emotional responses.
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Goal-Directed Persistence
Goal-Directed Persistence is your ability to hold onto a long-term goal and keep moving toward it, even when it’s slow, boring, inconvenient, or not immediately rewarding.
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Metacognition
Metacognition is your ability to think about your own thinking. It helps you step back, notice your patterns, and ask questions.
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Organization
Organization is your brain’s ability to create order – both physical and mental – so you can find what you need, when you need it, without wasting energy on chaos control.
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Planning & Prioritization
Planning & Prioritization is your brain’s ability to map out what needs to be done, in what order, and when to start.
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Problem Solving
Problem solving isn’t technically classified as a standalone executive function because it’s where several executive functions come together under pressure.
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Response Inhibition
Response Inhibition is your brain’s ability to pause before reacting. It’s the internal brake pedal that lets you choose what to do, rather than being pulled by impulse, emotion, or urgency.
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Stop Trying to Become a More Consistent PersonÂ
When performance varies, capable people often turn the variation into a judgment about themselves. Looking instead at the conditions that change access to attention, planning, memory, and other capacities gives you something far more useful to work with.
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Sustained Attention
Sustained Attention is your ability to stay focused over time, especially on tasks that are boring, complex, repetitive, or don’t offer instant gratification.
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Task Initiation
Task Initiation is your brain’s ability to begin. Not plan. Not think about starting. Actually start.
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Time Management
Time Management is your brain’s ability to estimate how long things take, plan accordingly, and stay oriented in time as the day unfolds.
