Everyone is forgetful sometimes. Things get hectic, an appointment or a deadline slips through the cracks. However, chronic stress due to distraction, forgetfulness, or difficulty planning may be something more.
Executive functioning is our brain’s way of helping us plan what to do and get what we want. It’s instrumental in helping us focus at work, school, and home. When you have executive functioning challenges, many areas of life can be more difficult. The good news is there are ways to improve your executive function.
An executive functioning coach can help you identify strengths and cope with challenges. Working with an executive functioning coach can also help you manage strong emotions around your functioning.
By learning exactly what executive function is and how it works, anyone can improve their executive functioning using the right tools and techniques.
What is executive function?
Executive function (EF) is a set of mental skills and processes that help us plan, problem-solve, and make decisions. Several mental processes help us achieve this. These are the primary areas that make up executive function:
Cognitive flexibility: The ability to adapt your thoughts and responses when you get new information. It lets you problem-solve, use creativity, and adapt to new or unexpected situations.
Working memory: Holding and manipulating information in your mind short-term. An example is doing a simple math problem in your head or putting items in alphabetical order. Working memory, also called short-term memory, is crucial for learning and comprehension.
Self-monitoring: Evaluating your willpower to complete a task and being self-aware of progress. For instance, you may check a math problem to be sure you’ve followed the calculations correctly.
Inhibition: Awareness and self-control to stop yourself from taking an action. For instance, noticing when you get distracted and returning to a task.
Time management: Recognizing the passage of time and planning tasks within time constraints. People who struggle with this skill sometimes call it “time blindness.”
Organizational skills: Batching items or ideas into their most logical categories. For example, putting items in order, laying out steps in a plan, or prioritizing task order.
Emotional regulation: Using coping mechanisms and skills to respond appropriately to events or stimuli. For instance, managing frustration when facing an obstacle or remaining calm in a noisy place.
All these skills work together to help us plan our day, learn new things, or complete projects. We develop these skills throughout childhood. People with EF challenges may struggle in one or more areas, making planning and execution harder. The severity of these deficits has different outcomes for our skills.
What is an executive functioning coach?
An executive functioning coach helps individuals improve their executive functions. This type of coach is helpful for people who have EF challenges due to injuries or neurodiversity, including:
An executive coach teaches various frameworks and strategies to enhance EF skills. They meet with a client to learn about their current functioning and identify areas for improvement. Goals are often client-driven. For example, a client may want help improving time management to avoid lateness. A coach can help them use tools to keep an eye on time and plan tasks effectively.
Coaches offer support in many ways. They can help clients identify the root cause of disruptions in their lives. From this analysis, they can offer suggestions on how to improve. For example, a coach may suggest using SMART goals. This framework helps clients set and track manageable goals. A coach could suggest techniques or tools to boost individual skills, such as a visual timer to reduce time blindness.
The role of an executive functioning coach
Executive functioning coaches are facilitators who help clients change and grow. They provide expert insights into mental processes such as:
- Organization
- Task initiation
- Planning
- Time management
- Emotional regulation
- Self-assessment
An executive functioning coach draws upon evidence-based strategies, such as mindfulness practices, to boost EF skills. They can assess a client’s strengths and help them select areas for improvement.
A client working with an executive functioning coach should expect a collaborative relationship. Great coaches build client relationships on respect and understanding. In most situations, a coach won’t tell a client what to do. Instead, they actively listen to the client’s concerns and provide them with tools and techniques to enhance skills.
Executive function and ADHD
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition and a form of neurodiversity. It can cause distraction, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Many of ADHD’s symptoms show up in a person’s executive functioning and emotional control. ADHD often presents in middle school or high school learners, when management structures become more independent. College students sometimes struggle once grade-school interventions and structure cease.
Doctors believe low levels of dopamine cause the symptoms of ADHD. In a 2004 study from a respected Swedish institute, researchers found that the dopamine transporter binding values in the brains of participants with ADHD were 16% lower than those of the control group.
This chemical neurotransmitter transports messages throughout the brain. While many call it the “reward” chemical, dopamine spikes when we’re anticipating something good or novel. An upcoming vacation, shopping trip, or meal can do it. Dopamine tapers once the reward materializes. Buyer’s remorse and vacation blues are common outcomes of waning dopamine.
Mundane or repetitive tasks or events don’t supply dopamine like something new and exciting. This leads to impulsive behaviors, risk-taking, and trouble concentrating on “boring” or unrewarding tasks. This makes it hard for people with ADHD to maintain focus or control impulses.
Other neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and serotonin play a role in attention. Norepinephrine influences attention span and response actions. Serotonin relates to mood regulation and inhibition. Imbalances in these chemicals may make executive function worse.
ADHD medications slow down dopamine reuptake (how fast our brain burns through available dopamine). But it’s not a magic cure. Those with executive dysfunction should also build good systems to cope with the effects of ADHD. ADHD coaching can be effective at helping with self-management, study skills, work-life balance, and other struggles.
5 signs you might need an executive functioning coach
What does executive dysfunction look like in daily life? How do you know it’s time to get help? Everyone experiences different levels and types of dysfunction. The following signs may indicate you could benefit from working with an executive functioning coach.
Struggles with organization and planning
Struggles with planning are a common sign of executive dysfunction. Most people plan by thinking about completing a goal or task and working backward to identify the correct steps. If you struggle to visualize the final product or have difficulty laying out the steps, it may be an executive function issue.
Say you’re building a piece of furniture. You must plan for the space, collect tools, plan enough time to construct the piece, and follow the instructions from start to finish. Executive dysfunction can make one or more of these steps a challenge. You may miss steps, fail to plan enough time, or underestimate the space needed for the furniture. You may fail to complete the project or run into obstacles.
EF challenges lead to procrastination, mistakes due to lack of attention to detail, or incomplete work. These difficulties can cause feelings of anxiety and shame. You may feel like you need to be more disciplined. Understanding the sequential nature of tasks and managing time become challenging. An executive functioning coach helps clients work through these common challenges.
Difficulty managing time and prioritizing tasks
If you’re always running late or losing track of appointments, it may indicate you need an executive functioning coach. People with EF challenges struggle to prioritize tasks or plan and allocate their time. They may get distracted by an engaging activity and lose track of time.
Poor time management leads to lateness, missed deadlines, missed appointments, and heightened stress. It can cause someone to rush through late tasks and make mistakes. An executive functioning coach can help plan strategies for better functioning. This helps clients stay on track and avoid stress and embarrassment.
Impulse control challenges
Spontaneity can be a great trait, but acting impulsively can be stressful, frustrating, and disruptive.
Impulsivity leads to rash decisions, hasty actions, and regrettable mistakes. Impulsive people often act without considering the consequences. They may interrupt others, act out of turn, or make hasty decisions that disrupt their life goals. Impulsivity can impact finances through splurges, overspending, or dopamine-seeking behaviors like gambling.
An executive functioning coach can help you build strategies for improving impulse control. Mindfulness practices and cognitive exercises may help clients slow down their responses. EF coaching to learn better impulse control improves daily life and can help avoid negative consequences.
Trouble with emotional regulation
If you find it hard to manage your emotions, a coach can help. People with executive function challenges often experience heightened stress, anxiety, and interpersonal conflicts. They may react in a way that’s out of proportion to a situation or have outbursts. They may also withdraw when faced with challenges.
Poor emotional regulation hinders personal relationships and professional growth. An EF coach can help you develop coping mechanisms and strategies to keep strong feelings in check. The secret isn’t to stop feeling these strong emotions. Instead, it’s more effective to build appropriate responses to their appearance. A coach can help you hone these skills.
Experiencing extreme shame or guilt due to functioning lapses
Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, and usually we forgive ourselves and move on. Chronic disorganization, lateness, mistakes, or outbursts can cause intense guilt, embarrassment, and shame. If you’re one of the thousands of adults living with unaddressed executive dysfunction, you may not know why these issues happen. People with ADHD experience especially strong reactions to rejection or failure, real or perceived. This condition is known as rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD).
These feelings can erode your self-confidence and may prevent you from getting help. An executive functioning coach can help you build your skills and put mistakes in context so you can feel confident and in control of your emotions and your life.
Executive functioning coaching for kids vs. adults
Executive functioning works the same for all ages. However, coaches take different approaches for children versus adults. School administrations and learning specialists may be able to offer support to kids who struggle with executive function.
Here are some of the main ways adult-focused coaching approaches differ from the ways coaches work with children.
Methods: A child-focused EF coach uses play-based and interactive tactics to make learning fun. This method is backed by research. A 2011 scientific review of a double-blind, randomized trial (the gold standard for research) showed that 4-year-olds who used an interactive computer software for executive functioning training performed better than a control group.
Adults most often prefer to learn new techniques with clear, practical applications. Kids get hands-on strategies, emphasizing activities that focus on building core skills. Adult coaching is more discussion-based. You’ll learn techniques that work to improve self-awareness and decision-making abilities.
Partnership: Kids’ executive functioning coaches work with parents or caregivers. This ensures skill-building continues at home. In an adult coaching program, clients use strategies learned during sessions in their daily lives.
Goal-setting: The goals set in a child’s EF coaching session are generally short-term. They’re usually immediate, such as completing homework on time or organizing their room. Adults, more often, work toward long-term objectives like career skill-building, time management, planning, and problem-solving.
Feedback: The mechanisms for reinforcing skill-building differ between kids and adults. Children often receive rewards or tokens for achieving goals. Adults usually rely on self-reflection and intrinsic motivation to gauge progress.
Skill-building: Since kids’ EF skills are still emerging, coaching focuses on making them stronger. Adult abilities are more set, so their coaching focuses on honing existing skills. They may learn new skills to cope with specific challenges. Thanks to neuroplasticity, adults can be as capable of changing their neural pathways as kids.
How does executive functioning coaching work?
When you’re considering working with an executive functioning coach, you may want information on how to find a coach and how coaching works. The relationship between coach and client will always be personal and tailored to the needs and experiences of the client. However, in general, the coaching relationship proceeds through these typical stages.
Initial assessment and goal-setting
Your coach will conduct an evaluation to understand your current challenges. They’ll also uncover your strengths. Your coach may ask questions or use assessment tools to learn more. They’ll consider your attention skills, working memory, planning ability, and emotional regulation skills. From there, you can establish a first goal or set of goals to work toward.
Identifying strengths and learning styles
Next, your coach will work with you to uncover your strengths and learning styles. This helps you and your coach tailor strategies to maximize your potential. Understanding your unique capabilities guides the choice of coaching methodologies. The right tools and methods will help you improve functioning and promote sustainable skills.
Developing practical strategies and tools
Coaching is a personalized experience. The tools that work for one client or situation may be less effective with another. Your coach can suggest strategies and tools for improved functionality. A coach will provide personalized advice based on a client’s unique strengths and learning styles.
Ongoing support and accountability
Your coach is there to support your progress and act as an accountability partner as you put new skills and routines into practice. They can provide feedback, help you consider and reframe experiences, and celebrate successes. You may work with your coach to achieve a specific goal or continue with more sessions to improve other skills or areas.
How to find the right executive functioning coach for you
Finding the right coach is the first step to better executive functioning. Looking for a coach doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task. Use these steps to locate the best coach for your needs and personality.
- Find a coach with the right experience: Every coach brings different skills to the table. However, a great coach will specialize in executive functioning for adults. Look for a coach with a solid mix of practical experience and certifications.
- Look for someone compatible: Sometimes, coaching partners will click right away. But if you don’t, that’s OK. Take some time to see if the two of you are compatible. If not, it’s OK to find a coach that’s a better fit for your needs. Your coach wants the best for you, even if another professional might be a better fit.
- Learn about their approach to coaching: Every coach works a little differently. During the introductory session, take time to learn the coaching framework and ask questions about the process. Talk about your learning needs and how the coach can best meet them.
Improving executive functioning with virtual coaching
Need help with executive functioning? You don’t have to do it single-handed. A qualified coach can help you make progress on your goals. It may be surprising how quickly you can see improvements. If a coaching relationship is the right choice for you, you can find a BetterUp coach and get started today.
-1.png)
