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.