The Role of Executive Function

Your brain's built-in command center

Executive function is like your brain's command center. It's the set of mental skills that let you plan ahead, resist impulses, juggle priorities, and shift strategies when something isn't working. It's what separates a thoughtful response from a knee-jerk reaction, and it develops throughout childhood well into your mid-20s.

Source

Miyake, A., Friedman, N. P., Emerson, M. J., Witzki, A. H., Howerter, A., & Wager, T. D. (2000). The unity and diversity of executive functions and their contributions to complex 'frontal lobe' tasks: A latent variable analysis. Cognitive Psychology, 41(1), 49–100.

In real life...

Protect your executive function by tackling your most demanding cognitive tasks when you're freshest, typically in the morning. Save routine tasks like email for your low-energy periods. And don't underestimate sleep: even one night of poor sleep measurably impairs prefrontal cortex function.