Executive Functioning: The Brain Skills That Help Us Get Things Done 

At one time or another, we’ve all walked into a room and forgotten why we went there in the first place, struggled to prioritize competing tasks, and found it difficult to shift gears when plans changed. These everyday experiences are connected to a set of mental skills known as executive functioning. This Brain Awareness Week, March 16-22, 2026, we are taking a look at these skills, which can impact our lives in big ways.  

Executive functions are the brain’s management system and include the skills that help us plan, focus our attention, remember instructions, regulate our emotions, and manage multiple demands at once. Psychologists Peg Dawson and Richard Guare developed a practical model that describes 12 executive functioning skills that work together to support goal-directed behavior. Most people have strengths in some areas and challenges in others. These skills can be grouped into three broad domains. 

How We Organize & Plan: These skills help us anticipate what’s ahead and structure our work. 

• Time Management: Estimating how long tasks will take and allocating time effectively 
• Organization: Keeping track of materials, information, and systems 
• Planning & Priority Setting: Creating steps toward a goal and determining what matters most 

How We React: These skills help us regulate behavior, emotions, and thinking in response to situations. 

• Flexibility: Adapting to changes or shifting perspectives 
• Metacognition: Reflecting on our own thinking and performance 
• Emotional Control: Managing feelings in ways that support goals 
• Response Inhibition: Pausing before acting or speaking 
• Stress Tolerance: Functioning effectively in the face of pressure or uncertainty 

How We Get Things Done: These skills help translate plans into action. 

• Goal-Directed Persistence: Sustaining effort until a task is completed 
• Working Memory: Holding and manipulating information in mind 
• Task Initiation: Getting started on tasks without undue delay 
• Sustained Attention: Maintaining focus despite distractions 

These skills are essential in the workplace, allowing us to get our work done effectively and contribute to our organization’s mission to the best of our ability. Executive functioning skills also are an important building block of organizational culture because they shape our daily interactions and communications, influence how teams collaborate, and can allow us to maintain a proactive, innovative, responsive organizational culture. 

Brain Science Behind Executive Functioning 

Executive functions are largely supported by the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain just behind the forehead, which is responsible for planning, decision making, impulse control, and higher-order thinking. When thinking about ways to strengthen our executive functioning, it is critical to recognize that this part of the brain also is highly sensitive to stress. When the brain perceives threat or intense pressure, stress hormones such as cortisol activate survival-oriented systems designed to detect danger and respond quickly. While this response is helpful in true emergencies, chronic stress can disrupt communication with the prefrontal cortex, making it harder to access executive functioning skills like planning, focus, and impulse control. 

We all can recognize this experience. When someone is overwhelmed or stressed, it becomes harder to think clearly, prioritize tasks, or regulate emotions. In those moments, the brain is prioritizing safety over higher-order thinking. In these instances, we recommend following the Regulate → Relate → Reason sequence, popularized by child psychiatrist Bruce D. Perry. 

1. Regulate. Help the nervous system return to a calmer state 
2. Relate. Empathy and compassion help the brain feel safe and engaged 
3. Reason. Only then can we fully access reasoning and problem-solving, the functions associated with the prefrontal cortex 

This simple framework is easy to access when you are personally experiencing stress, or when interacting with others who are struggling. 

Tips for Strengthening Executive Functioning 

The encouraging news is that executive functioning skills are highly responsive to supportive conditions and intentional practice. Research consistently highlights several foundational factors that strengthen executive functioning: 

• Sleep. Adequate sleep plays a critical role in attention, memory, and decision making. Sleep deprivation significantly impairs working memory and cognitive flexibility, two core executive functions. Protecting consistent sleep schedules and reducing late-night cognitive load can help preserve executive functioning capacity. 

• Physical Activity. Exercise increases blood flow to the brain and stimulates neurochemical processes that support neural growth and connectivity in the prefrontal cortex. Even short bouts of movement can improve attention and cognitive flexibility. Practices like walking meetings or brief movement breaks can help reset focus during the workday. 

• Practice and Scaffolding. Executive functioning improves when people practice these skills in supportive environments. External tools, such as checklists, calendars, visual task boards, or step-by-step plans, can temporarily “hold” executive demands while the brain builds stronger internal systems. Over time, these supports, often referred to as scaffolding, help strengthen neural pathways involved in planning, working memory, and self-monitoring. 

Another helpful strategy is using stronger executive skills to support more challenging ones.  Because each person’s executive functioning profile is different, we can often leverage strengths to compensate for areas that require more effort. 

Some practical workplace examples include: 

• Someone with strong organization but weaker task initiation might create clear task lists and structured routines that make it easier to start work 
• A person who is extremely goal-oriented but struggles with flexibility might include reflection checkpoints in long projects to pause and consider alternative approaches 
• Someone with strong metacognition might use that awareness to recognize when stress is interfering with attention or emotional regulation and take steps to reset 

There are also simple practices that organizations can implement to reduce cognitive load and make it easier for staff to access their best thinking. Examples include: 

• Clarifying priorities when multiple tasks compete for attention 
• Using shared project trackers rather than relying on memory alone 
• Building in reflection time during meetings 
• Encouraging movement breaks during long work sessions 
• Fostering psychological safety so staff feel comfortable asking questions or requesting clarification 

When organizations reduce unnecessary cognitive strain, staff have more mental capacity available for problem-solving, collaboration, and innovation.  

Advanced strategies for improving staff well-being include ensuring that all staff have a shared understanding of brain science fundamentals. The additional knowledge and common language will allow them to recognize when their prefrontal cortexes are under duress and tap into tools like the Regulate → Relate → Reason sequence. 

Considering executive functioning through the brain science lens also can remind colleagues that productivity and decision making are not just about effort or motivation. They are deeply connected to brain development, stress levels, and the conditions that support effective thinking. 

This Brain Awareness Week, it’s worth remembering that the skills that help us plan, focus, adapt, and follow through are still developing across much of early adulthood and remain responsive to practice throughout life. When we prioritize regulation, create supportive environments, and intentionally practice these skills, we make it easier for the brain to think, plan, and act with purpose. 

To better apply brain science in your workplace, register for our upcoming webinars and learn about our customizable training for organizations. For more on executive functioning, watch this on-demand session.