Executive Function and Organizing Your Life
When we talk about executive function, we’re talking about those skills that help you stay organized. It’s the brain’s command center that helps us prioritize; it’s the skills we use to set and achieve goals. Understood defines executive function as:
“a set of mental skills that include working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. We use these skills every day to learn, work, and manage daily life. Trouble with executive
function can make it hard to focus, follow directions,
and handle emotions, among other things.”
HOW EXECUTIVE FUNCTION WORKS
Harvard University breaks executive function down into three areas:
Working memory governs our ability to retain and manipulate distinct pieces of information over short periods of time.
Mental flexibility helps us to sustain or shift attention in response to different demands or to apply different rules in different settings.
Self-control enables us to set priorities and resist impulsive actions or responses.
CAN EXECUTIVE FUNCTION BE TAUGHT?
People who struggle with executive function can improve their capabilities. Some people have underlying disorders, like ADHD, that interfere with their ability to fully utilize higher executive function. Some may suffer from executive function disorder. You can learn how to improve your executive function skills more effectively by focusing on improving things like impulse control, emotional control, and memory.
BETTER EXECUTIVE FUNCTION CAN IMPROVE ORGANIZATION
Improving your executive function can help you in all parts of your life. Better impulse control can improve your efforts dieting; better emotional control can help you improve your soft skills and do better at your job. Improving your memory through practice can help you with studies, work, and daily life. But executive function can also help you improve your organizational skills. And being more organized can have a positive impact on our lives.
BENEFITS OF BETTER ORGANIZATION
There are a number of benefits to being better organized. For some people, being more organized can improve their success at work, but for most people it’s simply about feeling better in their home space. But improving your organization can have quantifiable benefits.
Better Organization Reduces Stress
One of the top reasons people say they want to be more organized is because disorganization is adding stress to their lives. When you are feeling stressed it is hard to make smart decisions and it’s easy to fall back into old coping mechanisms. Stress is also hard on your heart and can lead to health issues.
Better Organization Saves Money
People spend a lot of money on storage – more than $4 billon a year! That’s a lot of money you could be saving for your next vacation or that cute pair of shoes you want. More than $2.7 billion a year is spent replacing misplaced possessions.
Better Organization Saves Time
According to a Pixie Survey, the average person spends nearly 2.5 days per month looking for something they’ve lost. That adds up to 720 hours a year wasted. Most often lost? The TV remote, followed by phones, car keys, and glasses.
LOOKING FOR WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR EXECUTIVE FUNCTION?
We recommend starting with these books.
ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life by Judith Kolberg and Kathleen Nadeau
The book is a collaboration between Kolberg, a professional organizer, and Nadeau, a psychologist.
Authors Judith Kolberg and Dr. Kathleen Nadeau combine their expertise and outline tools and strategies that are specifically for helping people diagnosed with ADD, or Attention Deficit Disorder. The techniques in this book tackle the areas of executive function that most adults with ADD struggle with. These areas are: time management, forgetfulness, distractibility, hyper-focus, and attentiveness. Read our full Maniac Book Club review.
Brain Rules by John Medina
It is a scientifically-backed exploration of how the way our brains functions impact our daily lives and what steps we can take to make our experiences more productive and generally beneficial to ourselves.
Medina divides his book into 12 sections, each a different Brain Rule. Each rule explains the biological set-up of a part of our brains then offers advice on actions we can take in our daily lives to take advantage of the biology of our brains for better outcomes. Read our full Maniac Book Club review.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Dr. Carol Dweck
This book is a guide to help people understand the difference between fixed mindsets and growth mindsets then use that understanding to move between the two to achieve success in their lives.
If a person has a fixed mindset, they are under the impression that a person’s abilities are given at birth and relatively unchangeable. They compare themselves with others, have a hard time receiving criticism, give up easily, and are critical of the success of others. A person with a growth mindset, according to Dweck, has a desire to learn, embraces challenges, is persistent in the face of setbacks and is focused on effort over outcome. People range between the two mindsets and can also have a different mindset for different parts of their lives (personal, career, art, sports, etc). Read our full Maniac Book Club review.