If you or someone you know struggles with productivity, impulsivity, and emotional control, eating food regularly throughout the day may help. While eating will not address all executive function deficits, the practice will go a long way toward improving them. This article will address those individuals who struggle to make eating a habit or are not aware of why they should do so.
Recent literature confirms that ADHD, dyslexia, high-functioning autism, and other conditions can confer advantages in specific careers. It is common to find individuals with these diagnoses in technical, entrepreneurial, and creative fields. Problems occur when these individuals move up to positions that require more robust executive functions. We call this The Peter Principle.
So, what goes into an effective tool for task and time management? I look for ones that integrate a task list and calendar which enables the user to plan for and see what tasks they want to complete and when. The tools should also make it easy to combine the two. Finally, the tool has to be portable and easy to access when you need to write down and task or calendar event.
Those of us in affected areas are acting on advice to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We are washing our hands, avoiding touching our faces, and social distancing. Okay, done! Now, how do I get work done at home? If you or someone you know struggles with productivity, working from home may be the hardest part of the list of protective measures being imposed.
"If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would get done." This quote is attributed to Rita Mae Brown, a prolific writer of such books as Rubyfruit Jungle and an intrepid advocate for civil and LGBT rights. Do you find it surprising that such a creative and productive force of nature struggles with procrastination too?
Imagine going into a Starbucks café and not knowing if the coffee you order will taste like Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, or Folgers Instant Coffee. On a business level, we would question the café’s efforts at quality control. Likewise, imagine a student turning in an essay and not having any idea if it meets the teacher’s expectations. We would again question the commitment to quality control but on an individual level.
Our ability to regulate attention, emotions, and behavior depends on several brain functions, arguably the most important of which is working memory. From an executive function perspective, working memory is the brain function that enables us to use our experience and long-term memory to understand and manipulate our immediate environment.
Red hearts are everywhere in stores as we celebrate Valentine's Day this week. The heart gets all of the credit for emotions, hence the red heart-shaped boxes of chocolates. While I'm not arguing for dull white, brain-shaped boxes of chocolate, the brain, as we know, is the actual seat of the emotions.
