Executive Functioning Skills Tip Sheet

Executive functioning allows a person to create plans, organize, solve problems, make decisions, complete tasks, and reflect. Executive functions are like the brain's boss or coach since they assist in the interaction between other cognitive processes, such as memory, attention, and perception. After a brain injury, executive functioning can be affected, which can make everyday tasks feel harder or more frustrating.

Executive functioning skills are like the conductor of an orchestra. Imagine your brain is filled with many different musicians – each representing a different ability: memory, attention, emotions, movement, language, and more. These musicians are talented, but without someone guiding them, the music turns into chaos. The conductor (your executive functioning) stands in front, keeping everyone in sync. They:

Start and stop the music (like task initiation and completion).
Adjust the tempo (like managing time and pacing).
Cue different sections (like shifting between tasks or ideas).
Keep everyone on the same page (like organizing and planning).
Stay calm under pressure (like emotional regulation).

When the conductor is strong and focused, the result is a beautiful symphony of thinking, acting, and responding. But if the conductor is distracted or overwhelmed, even the best musicians can lose track – and things can feel disorganized or frustrated.

Aspects of Executive Functioning

Attention: the ability to maintain focus on tasks and prevent distraction
Processing speed: the speed in which a person can understand and react to information received
Regulation: the ability to respond to the ongoing demands in a manner that is socially tolerable
Awareness: knowledge and recognition of strengths and weaknesses
Initiation: the ability to start an action
Response inhibition: the ability to stop an action that is now inappropriate or is unnecessary
Self-monitoring: the ability for one to monitor their own actions and behaviors in order to make changes when needed
Mental flexibility: the ability to transition or “shift” from thinking about one concept to another
Organization: the ability to sort language and ideas into cohesive categories in order to clarify thoughts and ideas
Sequencing: the awareness that events are required to happen in a certain order
Working memory: the ability to recall, manipulate, and use relevant information while in the middle of an activity
Planning: the mental flexibility to chain events together before they happen

Brain Injury Affects Executive Functioning

When a person has a brain injury, especially to the frontal lobe or prefrontal cortex, they may have difficulties with executive functioning, which is called executive dysfunction.

Executive dysfunction can result in difficulties with:

Staying focused or easily distracted
Getting started on tasks
Remembering what you were doing or what comes next
Feeling overwhelmed when things change
Getting stuck on one idea or task (called perseveration)
Emotional outbursts or poor frustration tolerance
Making quick decisions without thinking through the consequences

Look for These Difficulties

Keeping appointments
Remembering medications
Paying bills on time
Remembering grocery list
Organizing mail

Accommodations

Reduce distractions
Write a to-do list – estimate how much time it will take to complete each task – prioritize items in order
One task at a time
Work in small chunks of time
Set reminders with alerts
Work in an organized space; minimize clutter (cluttered space = cluttered brain)
Break projects into steps
Slow down
Keep items in the same place

It is important to remember these are just a few executive functioning skills a person may have difficulty with. If you have further questions, you can reach out to the North Dakota Brain Injury Network for additional resources and screening opportunities.