Here at Life Skills Advocate, we often discuss with clients and families that there’s not just one answer to challenges with executive functioning. The area of our brain responsible for EF skills–the prefrontal cortex–manages all types of complex behavior, including decision-making, personality, and goal orientation.
A lot is happening there, which means we can’t always narrow down challenges into specific “magic bullet” solutions.
Instead, we often discuss executive functioning in terms of interplay–or how two or more things interact or affect one another.
Breakdowns in executive functioning can happen for more than one reason, and more than one strategy or solution might be needed in coaching to address a particular problem.
Today’s article shares an example of how three common topics we discuss in coaching–impulsivity, stress, and time management skills–all share a complex interplay. If a learner struggles with all three, addressing one without considering the others likely isn’t going to have a significant benefit.
Let’s dive in and see why.
Click here to jump to the TL;DR summary.
Understanding Impulsivity, Stress & Time Management
Before we move further into the interchange between impulsivity, stress, and time management, let’s first define each term.
Impulsivity
What exactly is impulsivity? Impulsivity or low impulse control refers to one of two things: either the tendency to act without thinking through the consequences of our actions or the tendency to choose smaller, immediate rewards over a delayed larger reward.
For some, this may manifest as an inability to resist engaging in a behavior, while for others, it may be a tendency to act without fully considering the potential outcomes.
In executive functioning coaching, we help neurodivergent learners develop good impulse control, or the ability to prioritize wants and needs and resist or avoid doing things that may be inappropriate or harmful. Impulse control involves:
- Taking turns in conversations, and allowing others to talk or share opinions.
- Practicing sharing preferred items, like treats, snacks, or screen time.
- Responding to healthy limits on food, spending money, and screen time.
- Completing complex or less-preferred tasks first before fun things.
- Resisting peer pressure to engage in dangerous or unhealthy behaviors.
- Refraining from back-talk, “snark,” whining, or negotiations.
For a deep dive into impulse control and how we develop it, check out our Executive Functioning 101 Hub.
Time Management
Like impulse control, time management behaviors are also controlled in our prefrontal cortex. While we don’t fully understand the neural mechanisms of time perception and time management, we do know what happens when time management falls apart–frustration, missed deadlines, and lost productivity.
Time management skills have been shown to have a whole myriad of benefits, including improved social relationships, higher academic performance, improved economic status, and even an overall higher quality of life.
For more on time management skills, check out our article: The Basics of Time Management.
Stress
Of all three concepts, stress is probably the most familiar to all of us. Everyone understands and undergoes stress in some form or another. Stress is a natural human phenomenon that helps prompt humans to respond and address threats and challenges.
Stress impacts nearly every system in the body and contributes to all forms of our physical and mental health. Understanding how it impacts executive functioning skills like impulsivity and time management is critical to evaluating successful EF tools and interventions.
Impulsivity, Stress, and Time Management: A Complex Interplay
Now let’s start to pull apart how these three concepts are related and how struggles with one can drag down or negatively impact our success with another:
Impulsivity and Time Management
When it comes to time management, impulsivity can be a real hindrance.
For instance, consider the things you have the least impulse control with.
Do you find yourself getting distracted by social media? Spending time with others? Other non-work-related activities?
Distractions and our inability to say ‘no’ to these distractions can directly impact how we manage time. The more time spent on distractions and low-priority tasks, the greater the chance we’ll experience lost productivity and missed deadlines.
Time Management and Impulsivity
On the flip side, effective time management can actually help reduce impulsivity. When you have a clear plan for how to spend your time, you’re less likely to get distracted by non-work-related activities or impulsive urges.
By structuring the day and prioritizing tasks effectively, neurodivergent individuals often find they can create a sense of order and control that helps with staying on track and focused on goals.
Stress and Time Management
Now, let’s turn our attention to stress.
We’ve all experienced stress at some point in our lives, whether it’s due to work, school, or personal relationships.
Just as impulsivity can throw a wrench into our ability to manage our time, so can chronic and acute stress. Stress and time management have a cyclical relationship that can quickly spiral out of control.
Procrastination and poor prioritization can lead to a buildup of tasks. When you feel like you don’t have enough time to finish everything, stress creeps in quickly.
When individuals feel like they don’t have enough time to complete their tasks or meet their obligations, they may become overwhelmed and experience even more stress.
Time Management and Stress
On the other hand, effective time management techniques can reduce stress by helping individuals to plan and prioritize their tasks. Effective time management can create a sense of control and reduce feelings of overwhelm, especially for individuals who have a history of chronic stress.
Sometimes a boost in improving time management skills can be an effective way to manage stress and improve overall productivity and performance. And because of what we know about time management and impulsivity, it can also reduce distractions and our ability to focus on what’s most important.
Stress and Impulsivity
Time management isn’t the only area stress can create havoc. Did you know that elevated stress can increase impulsivity as well?
When we’re feeling stressed, we’re more likely to act impulsively and make snap decisions without fully considering the consequences. Stress also increases the chances we’ll select a smaller, short-term immediate reward over doing harder, more difficult tasks for a greater reward.
For instance, you might find yourself reaching for that sugary snack when you’re feeling stressed, even though you know it’s not the healthiest choice. Or you might snap at a coworker or loved one without fully considering the impact of your words.
Chronic stress can also lead to the development of impulsive behaviors as a coping mechanism. Individuals experiencing chronic stress may feel overwhelmed and seek to cope with the emotional discomfort by engaging in impulsive behaviors such as substance abuse or risky behaviors. These impulsive behaviors can provide temporary relief but may have negative long-term consequences and increase overall stress levels, as seen below.
Impulsivity and Stress
The inverse relationship is also true. Impulsivity can actually create stress.
When we act impulsively, we may make decisions that have negative consequences or even risky behavior. This is particularly true for individuals who engage in high-risk behaviors like substance abuse, gambling, unsafe sex, or dangerous driving/sports. The consequences of these behaviors can contribute to financial, physical, or emotional harm.
These negative consequences can cause further stress and create a vicious cycle of impulsive behavior and stress.
That’s why it’s crucial for individuals to learn effective stress management techniques to reduce impulsivity and better manage time.
These techniques may include mindfulness meditation, cognitive-behavioral therapy, physical exercise, and healthy lifestyle choices. By managing stress effectively, individuals can improve their ability to regulate their impulses and reduce the likelihood of engaging in impulsive behaviors that can lead to negative consequences and increased stress.
The Complex Interplay
As mentioned in the introduction, when we start to tease apart the individual ways that things like impulsivity, stress, and time management are related and build upon each other, it’s easy to see the complex interplay.
We can’t really address one without also needing to pay attention to the others – and conversely, strategies that help in one area are likely to have trickle-down effects in other areas.
Strategies that have the biggest impact on neurodiverse learners are those that directly target these complex relationships and tackle the interplay head-on.
How to Successfully Manage Impulsivity, Stress & Time Management Together
Here are five ideas, tools, and strategies you can use to boost impulse control, reduce stress, and more effectively manage time.
Set SMART Goals
Setting clear goals and deadlines can help you stay focused and motivated, reducing the likelihood of getting sidetracked by distractions and impulsivity. Practice SMART goal setting (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound), to write goals that help you become laser-focused on what’s most important.
As part of SMART goal setting, break tasks down into manageable chunks and prioritize them based on their importance and urgency in working toward your goal. This can help you work more efficiently and ensure that you’re making progress toward your goals.
Block Out Downtime
One strategy that helps minimize time management challenges is to use time blocking to include ‘brain breaks’ or downtime specifically to blow off steam (or be impulsive).
Time-blocking is a time management technique that involves breaking the day down into blocks of time and assigning specific tasks to each block. Focus on 1-2 blocks of high-priority tasks first, followed up by a 30 or 45-minute “brain break” where you can check out social media, get lost on Reddit, or chat with friends.
Because your brain anticipates time set aside for the impulse-driven things is coming, it can be easier to focus on the immediate task at hand. It’s one way that time management can create a clear plan for how to spend your time and ensure that you’re making progress toward your goals.
Practice Mindfulness
One effective strategy when stress starts to interrupt our impulse control is to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness involves paying attention to the present moment without judgment and can help reduce stress and promote calmness.
As mentioned above, when we get stressed out, we can often check out and start operating on ‘autopilot’ without a lot of intentional decision-making. Mindfulness is like slamming the breaks on our impulsive behavior autopilot car, forcing us to stop, think, and make a more deliberate decision.
For a sample mindfulness meditation that helps recognize stress in the body and how it impacts our emotions, check out this Emotional Control Body Scan Exercise from The Real Life Executive Functioning Workbook (coupon code LSA20 for 20% off at checkout).
Learn Self-Care Skills
We talk a lot about practicing self-care but don’t always focus on teaching these skills to neurodiverse students. Self-care strategies are just as important as other IEP goals–and clearly, when we understand how detrimental stress can be on other executive functioning skills, should be a top priority.
Focus on goals like getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, and engaging in regular exercise. These activities can help reduce stress and promote a sense of well-being, reducing the likelihood of impulsive behaviors.
TL;DR : Impulsivity, Stress & Time Management
Impulsivity, stress, and time management are interconnected in complex ways. Here are a few takeaways to note:
- Executive functioning skills are related in complex ways. Addressing one area can cause trickle-down effects in other areas of our behavior.
- When individuals experience stress, their ability to manage impulsive behavior can be impaired, leading to decisions that can create further stress.
- Poor time management can also contribute to stress, as it can lead to procrastination and feelings of overwhelm.
- Effective time management skills can reduce stress levels and improve productivity, while mindfulness techniques and other stress management strategies can help us regulate impulsive behavior and make better decisions.
By recognizing the interplay between impulsivity, stress, and time management, individuals can develop effective strategies to manage these factors and improve executive functioning.
Further Reading
- American Psychological Association – Stress
- Executive Functioning 101 Hub: Impulse Control
- Life Skills Advocate Blog – All About Impulse Control
- Life Skills Advocate Blog – The Basics of Time Management
- Life Skills Advocate Blog – How to Use SMART Goal Setting to Teach Daily Living Skills
- Life Skills Advocate Blog – How ADHD Can Contribute to Risky Behavior
- Life Skills Advocate Blog – Sleep and Executive Functioning: 14 Ways to Get the Rest Your Brain Needs
- Life Skills Advocate Blog – 10 Ways to Use Video Modeling to Teach Healthy Eating
- Life Skills Advocate Blog – Using Modeling to Teach Your Teen to Exercise
- The Real-Life Executive Functioning Workbook (coupon code LSA20 for 20% off at checkout)
- Sanchez, E. O., & Bangasser, D. A. (2022). The effects of early life stress on impulsivity. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 104638.
- Science Direct – Time Management