Be Your Own Executive: Mastering Productivity Through Executive Function - DBR 087

Episode 87 of the Do Busy Right - The Task and Attention Management Podcast podcast, hosted by Larry Tribble, Ph.D., titled "Be Your Own Executive: Mastering Productivity Through Executive Function - DBR 087" was published on July 7, 2025 and runs 49 minutes.

July 7, 2025 ·49m · Do Busy Right - The Task and Attention Management Podcast

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Episode Description

My goal today is to help you understand a few things that are true about knowledge work, specifically focusing on a concept called executive function. This term may be new to you, but I believe it perfectly describes what we're all dealing with in our daily lives and work. Ultimately, I want to describe an "operating system" that we can put in place to help us with this crucial skill.

Why is this important for you? I'll show that understanding and improving your executive function is the root of productivity in the modern world. It's about your ability to plan, manage time, and problem-solve – essential skills that put you in a position to operate effectively in the world, whether at work or in your personal life. Think of it as the underlying "athleticism" for a general knowledge worker. Perhaps even more critically, it's the cure for productivity anxiety.

Research shows that while 61% of us feel productive at work, a striking 80% report having productivity anxiety. This means many of us feel a constant struggle to meet expectations, feeling we're "not productive enough". By focusing on executive function, we can address this widespread challenge head-on. We'll deal with that here.

What is Executive Function?

Encompasses the ability to plan, manage time, and problem-solve among other things
Set of skills comparable to "athleticism" for physical workers, but applied to knowledge work
A life skill that applies equally to your job and your personal life
It differs from specialized skills (e.g., an electrical engineer's advanced math, which aren't typically applied at the same level in daily life. Also it is not taught in schools.

Group Executive Function

How teams operate: rules, procedures, information management, and communication
Is dependent on the high executive function of its individual members.

Executive Function as Your Personal "Operating System"

Computers act as tools that support our executive function.
We can conceptualize our personal executive function as an "operating system" – a set of standard procedures and guidelines that allows us to function effectively.
Like an OS enables a computer to run specialized programs, our executive function allows us to perform diverse roles effectively.

Improving Executive Function: A Scientific Management Approach

Inspired by Frederick Taylor's scientific management
A key to increased knowledge work productivity

The Problem: Widespread Productivity Anxiety

Our feeling of productivity often stems from our own standards, while anxiety arises from failing to meet others' expectations or from unfavorable self-comparison.
This is often compounded by a "bravado"
Symptoms of productivity anxiety include: feelings of inadequacy, guilt about hours worked and vacation or sick days, chronic dissatisfaction with your output.

Recap

We're talking about productivity anxiety and our urgent need to understand and improve our executive function. This is because executive function is the fundamental basis for the kind of productivity that truly matters – both in your professional life and in everything else you strive to accomplish.

The good news is that getting better at this executive function is the cure for productivity anxiety. We have powerful tools at our disposal, like our computers and their search functions, which should support our executive function. The key is to use these tools properly and consistently, ensuring they genuinely support, rather than undermine, your executive function. This means it's time to "be your own executive". It's often up to us to figure it out. I can help.

That's why we emphasize adopting new mindsets, tactics, and habits. Structures like the Attention Compass are designed precisely to provide this operating system, helping you effectively manage these underlying skills. By consciously working on your executive function – whether it's becoming a little better at problem-solving or improving your information management – you directly enhance your overall productivity and reduce anxiety.

Remember, executive function is that underlying skill set that allows us to function well in the modern world, encompassing all those essential "life skills". By embracing this, by actively working to improve your personal operating system, you become more effective, more productive, and more capable of turning the world and yourself into what you want them to be.