Executive Functioning Coaching

Executive functioning (EF) is like your brain’s management system. It helps you get started on tasks, stay organized, and keep track of your goals. These skills make it possible to think about both the short-term and long-term impact of your choices, create a plan, and then adjust along the way if things don’t go as expected.

Executive Function Skills We Target

Organization, Time Management, Planning & Prioritization, Task Initiation, Sustained Attention, Working Memory, Flexibility, Emotional Regulation, Self-Monitoring, Goal-Directed Persistence.

Coaching helps build practical strategies for everyday challenges, such as organization, time management, and follow-through. In sessions, we work together to set goals, practice tools that work for you, and create accountability so you can grow in independence and confidence.

How Coaching Works

Tools & Strategies Used in Sessions

Prioritization Frameworks, Goal Setting & Action Plans, Self-Monitoring Tools, Technology Supports, Accountability Structures, Environmental Supports, Strength-Based Approaches.

Organizing

Planning

Time Management

Task Initiation

Follow-Through

Working Memory

Flexibility

Organizing Planning Time Management Task Initiation Follow-Through Working Memory Flexibility

Executive Functioning Models

Highlighted Examples

Russell Barkley’s framework is built around the concept that inhibition (self-regulation) is the foundation from which other executive skills emerge:
- Self-Awareness
- Inhibition/ Self-Restraint
- Working memory (verbal & nonverbal)
- Emotional self-regulation
- Self-motivation
- Planning & problem-solving
It’s especially influential in ADHD research and adult coaching, because it links executive functioning directly to real-world self-control and goal pursuit.
In her classic neuropsychology text, Muriel Lezak proposed four broad domains:
1. Volition (intention and goal selection),
2. Planning (sequencing and organizing tasks),
3. Purposive Action (task initiation and persistence),
4. Effective Performance (monitoring and correcting behavior).
This model is especially useful for understanding how executive functioning operates in daily life and clinical contexts.
- Identifies 11 core executive skills in two categories:
  - Thinking Skills: Planning, Organization, Time Management, Working Memory, Metacognition.
  - Behavioral/Emotional Skills: Response Inhibition, Emotional Control, Sustained Attention, Task Initiation, Flexibility, Goal-Directed Persistence.
- Why it’s useful: Very practical and coach-friendly — widely used in schools, coaching, and therapy. Easy to map to daily life, and many assessments (like the ESQ-R) are built on this framework.
Thomas Brown’s Six Cluster Model emphasizes that executive functioning challenges are interrelated, grouping them into six clusters that reflect how individuals organize, sustain, and regulate their behavior, emotions, and thoughts:
- Activation – Getting organized, prioritizing tasks, and getting started on work.
- Focus – Sustaining attention and shifting it when needed.
- Effort – Regulating alertness, sustaining effort, and processing speed.
- Emotion – Managing frustration, regulating emotions.
- Memory – Using working memory and accessing recall.
- Action – Monitoring and self-regulating actions.Description text goes here

Executive Functioning Across the Lifespan

EF skills are still developing rapidly in adolescence (the prefrontal cortex continues maturing into the mid-20s).
- Common Challenges:
  - Forgetting homework or missing assignments.
  - Procrastinating or “putting off” unpleasant tasks.
  - Difficulty managing emotions (frustration, peer conflict).
  - Struggles with organization (locker, backpack, sports gear).
  - Trouble shifting between social life and academic demands.
- Strengths/Opportunities:
  - Can start learning strategies like planners, checklists, and digital reminders.
  - Support from parents/teachers is still expected and can scaffold independence.
At this stage, the scaffolding drops away — no one reminds them of deadlines, meals, or sleep. EF skills are tested in new ways.
- Common Challenges:
  - Managing multiple classes, projects, and social life without reminders.
  - Sleep schedule and time management breakdowns.
  - Difficulty prioritizing (studying vs. socializing vs. work).
  - Emotional regulation (homesickness, stress, anxiety).
  - Impulse control with newfound independence (spending, partying, gaming).
- Strengths/Opportunities:
  - Many develop systems (calendars, apps, study groups).
  - Room to experiment with self-motivation and accountability strategies.
  - Support shifts to coaching, counseling, or peer mentors instead of parents.
By adulthood, EF challenges may feel more hidden but show up in high-stakes ways (career, finances, relationships).
- Common Challenges:
  - Procrastination → missed deadlines or stalled career growth.
  - Disorganization → clutter, lost bills, unpaid taxes.
  - Poor time estimation → chronic lateness or overcommitment.
  - Difficulty balancing multiple roles (work, home, parenting).
  - Emotional regulation → stress, burnout, conflict at work or home.
- Strengths/Opportunities:
  - Adults often develop compensatory strategies (apps, calendars, routines, delegating).
  - Workplace accommodations and coaching can be powerful supports.
  - EF growth never stops — adults can still build new habits and skills.
Similarities Across All Stages:
- Core skills (planning, organizing, self-monitoring, regulating) are the same.
- Struggles often show up as procrastination, disorganization, and overwhelm.
- Supports like structure, reminders, and accountability help at every age.
Key Differences:
- Teens → Challenges are school-centered, parents scaffold.
- College students → Independence + lack of structure creates “sink or swim” moments.
- Adults → EF impacts career, finances, relationships — consequences feel higher-stakes.

- EF helps with managing assignments, studying effectively, remembering deadlines, and adapting when things change.
- Students with strong EF can juggle multiple subjects, projects, and extracurriculars without becoming overwhelmed.
- For teens and college students, EF is the difference between “just getting by” and thriving.
- At work, EF shows up in meeting deadlines, prioritizing tasks, solving problems, and handling stress.
- Weak EF skills may look like procrastination, missed opportunities, or being labeled “disorganized” — even when the person is highly capable.
- Strong EF skills build reliability, adaptability, and leadership potential.
- EF is what allows you to manage bills, appointments, household responsibilities, and relationships.
- It’s how adults balance work, family, and personal well-being.
- When EF skills are underdeveloped, life can feel chaotic — clutter piles up, goals stall, and small setbacks feel overwhelming.
- EF includes emotional regulation: the ability to pause, reflect, and respond thoughtfully instead of reacting impulsively.
- It helps individuals manage frustration, cope with stress, and stay resilient when facing challenges.
- Strong EF supports mental health and reduces burnout.
IEF isn’t fixed — these skills can be strengthened with strategies, tools, and coaching.
- Building EF empowers individuals to unlock their potential, pursue meaningful goals, and create sustainable progress over time.tem description