If You Struggle with Time Management, Your Brain Is Working Against You—Here’s How to Rewire It

Understanding Time Management Through Executive Functioning

Bennett sat at his desk, staring at his packed calendar, feeling the all-too-familiar wave of stress creeping in. His days were filled with back-to-back meetings, urgent emails, and last-minute requests that left little room for the strategic work he knew was critical. No matter how many hours he put in, he still felt like he was constantly playing catch-up.

Meanwhile, his colleague, Hillary, seemed to glide through her days effortlessly. She tackled high-priority projects with focus, finished tasks ahead of schedule, and still had time to mentor her team. Despite leading a similarly demanding role, she never seemed frazzled or overwhelmed.

Bennett couldn’t figure out what he was doing wrong. He had the experience, the intelligence, and the work ethic. But while Hillary always seemed in control of her time, he felt like time controlled him.

Some executives make it look effortless to manage their time while others constantly feel behind. They have the same number of hours in the day, so what makes the difference?

Executive functioning skills are what makes the difference. We can’t buy time so we have to know how to utilize the time we have.  Executive functioning skills are the brain’s management system that are required to execute tasks.  Strong executive functioning allows leaders to stay focused, meet deadlines, carefully make decisions, possess a strong working memory, and to be organized.  Even the most intelligent and talented executives can struggle with time management when these skills aren’t fully developed.  

If you tend to find yourself overcommitted, misjudging how long something will take, procrastinating, running late, and having trouble managing your calendar, you are not alone.  Executive Functioning skills directly impact time management and you can improve them. 

What is Executive Functioning?

We can think of executive functioning as your brain’s CEO. It directs how you plan, organize, shift focus, and follow through on tasks amongst many other skills. It is responsible for:

• A sense that time is important 
• Setting and managing priorities 
• Estimating how long tasks take
• Controlling distractions and staying on track
• Adjusting plans when unexpected challenges arise

When you have strongly developed executive functioning skills, time management feels intuitive and it is a strength of yours. When this skill is not as developed, you may find yourself constantly running late, struggling with deadlines, having difficulty with prioritizing tasks, and feeling overwhelmed with large projects (even if the project itself is a strength of yours). 

5 Executive Functions That Impact Time Management

1. Planning & Organization: Setting Priorities That Align With Strategy

Executives need to focus on high-impact activities, yet many find themselves trapped in reactive work. Strong planning and organizational skills ensure that daily tasks align with long-term goals.

•  Example: An executive who blocks out time for deep work rather than constantly reacting to emails.
• Fix: Use time blocking to schedule your most important work first before getting pulled into low-value tasks.

2. Task Initiation & Overcoming Procrastination

Even high achievers procrastinate, especially when faced with complex decisions or overwhelming projects. The longer we delay, the more stress and last-minute scrambling we create.

•  Example: A leader who delays starting a critical strategy review until it becomes an urgent crisis.
•  Fix: Use the “just start” rule and commit to working on a task for five minutes. This reduces mental resistance and helps you gain momentum.
• Just start rule: commit to working on a task for just five minutes with no pressure to finish, just start.

3. Time Perception & Time Blindness: Knowing How Long Things Really Take

Many executives underestimate how long tasks take which leads to overcommitment, feeling rushed, stressed, or anxious, and possibly missed deadlines. 

• Example: Thinking a report will take 20 minutes when it actually takes an hour which in turn causes a chain reaction of delays.
• Fix: Track how long routine tasks actually take using a simple time audit. Over time, you’ll improve your ability to estimate and plan realistically.
• Time Audit: Track the name of the task, how long you think it will take and then how long the task actually took. Make appropriate changes to your schedule next time the recurring task takes place. 

4. Cognitive Flexibility: Adapting Without Derailing Progress

Business priorities shift constantly. Executives who struggle with adaptability often waste time resisting change rather than adjusting quickly.

• Example: A leader whose entire schedule gets derailed by an unexpected request, throwing off their entire day.
• Fix: Instead of letting one unexpected request derail the entire day, quickly assess the new task’s urgency, adjust priorities accordingly, and time-block remaining tasks to stay on track without losing momentum.

5. Self-Regulation & Impulse Control: Managing Distractions

Distractions don’t just come from outside sources, they come from within too. A wandering mind, checking emails compulsively, or saying yes to unnecessary meetings can all destroy focus.

• Example: A leader who constantly refreshes their inbox instead of completing deep work.
•  Fix: Set “no distraction” zones—turn off notifications and batch-check emails at scheduled intervals.

Why Executive Dysfunction Can Make Time Management Feel Impossible

If you relate to some of these struggles, you might benefit from further developing your executive functioning skills.  There is good news, even an old dog can learn new tricks!!  Spending time learning about your patterns of strengths and weaknesses as well as strengthening the weaknesses can result in better time management as well as other executive functioning skills. 

Taking the First Step Toward Better Time Management

Improving time management starts with understanding how your brain works. By recognizing your executive functioning strengths and weaknesses, you can implement strategies that work for your natural tendencies instead of against them.

In the next post of this series, we’ll dive deeper into one of the biggest time management challenges for executives: Decision Fatigue & Procrastination.

Samantha Enayati – Master Coach, Executive Functioning Expert

Samantha Enayati is a Master Coach at Jolt Your Career, specializing in executive functioning and performance optimization. With a passion for helping professionals enhance focus, productivity, and decision-making, Samantha empowers clients to master the mental skills necessary for success in today’s fast-paced world.

Drawing from her extensive experience in coaching high achievers, she provides tailored strategies for overcoming procrastination, improving time management, and strengthening self-discipline. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, executive, or professional looking to optimize your workflow, Samantha’s proven methods help you gain clarity, take action, and stay accountable.

As a thought leader in executive functioning, Samantha shares insightful blogs and practical strategies to help professionals unlock their full potential. Ready to take control of your productivity and performance? Work with Samantha and start making momentum today!