How Executive Functions and Healthy Habits Generate Productivity and Well-Being

On many occasions, even with the best organizational systems and admirable discipline, many professionals experience a gap between what they want to accomplish and what they actually achieve during the day. This phenomenon is not explained solely by surface-level time management or momentary motivation. In fact, it has been scientifically proven that the quality of our daily habits—especially sleep, nutrition, and exercise—has a profound impact on the brain, particularly on the functioning of the prefrontal lobe, where the so-called executive functions reside.

These functions, which involve highly relevant cognitive processes such as planning, impulse control, working memory, and decision-making, represent a significant advancement in our emotional well-being and our ability to respond effectively to daily challenges. It is in this center of cerebral regulation where the difference between potential and actual achievement is forged; therefore, understanding and strengthening these processes is essential for anyone who aspires to a full and productive life. (Tuckman, 2012)

What Are Executive Functions and Why Do They Matter?

Executive functions can be conceptualized as the brain’s central regulatory system, located primarily in the prefrontal cortex. This set of advanced cognitive processes is responsible for coordinating and supervising a wide range of mental activities necessary for daily life, such as problem-solving, adapting to novel situations, managing priorities, and regulating behavior in accordance with long-term goals. (Tuckman, 2012)

From a neuropsychological perspective, executive functions comprise several fundamental capacities:

• Organization and planning: The ability to structure tasks, set clear goals, break complex projects into manageable steps, and anticipate the consequences of different actions.

• Inhibition and impulse control: The process by which irrelevant stimuli are filtered out and automatic reactions are modulated, allowing for adaptive rather than impulsive responses.

• Cognitive flexibility: The aptitude to modify thinking or behavioral strategies in response to changes in the environment or unexpected demands.

• Working memory: The capacity to retain and manipulate relevant information over short periods of time, essential for informed decision-making.

• Initiative and self-motivation: The internal drive that leads to initiating and sustaining goal-directed actions, even in the absence of immediate external motivation. (Tuckman, 2012)

  
  

Adequate development and management of these executive functions are crucial, as they constitute the foundation of self-control, emotional self-regulation, and the ability to adapt efficiently to daily challenges. Conversely, deficits in these areas often manifest as difficulties in achieving goals, maintaining healthy habits, managing time, and controlling impulses, which can result in limited personal and professional functioning, as well as a deterioration of overall well-being.

Have you noticed that days marked by fragmented sleep, poor nutrition, or lack of physical activity often coincide with periods of low productivity, increased irritability, and a marked lack of motivation? This correlation is no coincidence; it has a clear and well-documented neurobiological explanation.

Scientific evidence has shown that factors such as sleep, nutrition, and physical exercise directly influence the functioning of the central nervous system, and particularly the prefrontal cortex, where executive functions are located. For example, sleep deprivation reduces the efficiency of neural connections responsible for decision-making and impulse control, while a diet high in refined sugars and saturated fats can affect brain plasticity and the balance of neurotransmitters crucial for emotional well-being. Likewise, lack of exercise decreases levels of endorphins and other neurochemicals associated with mood regulation and motivation. (Tuckman, 2012)

As a result, when these pillars of a healthy lifestyle are compromised, not only is physical health affected, but there is also a decline in cognitive capacity, emotional control, and readiness to face the challenges of everyday life. This is applied neuroscience: our brain and our executive functions require an adequate biological environment to operate at their maximum potential. Therefore, investing in healthy habits is essential not only for physical well-being, but also for preserving and enhancing our mental and emotional performance. (Tuckman, 2012)

The Relationship Between Executive Functions and Self-Esteem: A Virtuous (or Vicious) Cycle

Self-esteem can be defined as the subjective and emotional evaluation that each individual has of themselves, based on the recognition of their abilities, achievements, skills, and experiences. This self-concept is closely linked to the functioning of executive functions, since it is these higher cognitive capacities that allow us to organize our time, honor commitments, and maintain consistent habits over time. (Tuckman, 2012)

When a person manages their executive functions effectively—planning, anticipating difficulties, regulating impulses, and completing tasks—they experience a sense of competence and control over their environment. From a neuropsychological perspective, this process positively reinforces self-perception, generating a virtuous cycle: by achieving goals and observing tangible results, confidence in one’s own abilities is strengthened, which in turn increases intrinsic motivation to face new challenges and maintain constructive habits. (Tuckman, 2012)

By contrast, difficulties in managing executive functions—such as procrastination, disorganization, or failure to meet goals—tend to progressively erode one’s sense of personal worth. The repetition of these negative experiences feeds a pessimistic view of one’s own abilities, reducing motivation to try again and perpetuating a vicious cycle of low self-esteem and poor performance.

It is worth emphasizing that even seemingly small achievements—such as meeting a deadline, arriving on time for an appointment, choosing a healthy food option, or engaging in physical activity despite low motivation—contribute significantly to the construction of a positive self-image. These micro-successes, sustained over time, are fundamental to strengthening self-esteem and unlocking personal potential.

Healthy Habits: The Essential Environment for Enhancing Executive Functions

The relationship between healthy habits and executive functions is increasingly recognized in the scientific literature, and Ari Tuckman’s workbook Understand Your Brain, Get More Done highlights this clearly: daily practices focused on caring for sleep, nutrition, and physical activity are determining factors for optimal brain functioning, specifically of the prefrontal cortex, where executive functions reside.

1. Sleep: The True Process of Brain Restoration

Both the quality and quantity of sleep profoundly affect higher cognitive capacities. Sleep deprivation not only causes fatigue, but also leads to a decline in sustained attention, working memory, impulse control, and frustration tolerance. In neurobiological terms, lack of sleep limits the prefrontal cortex’s capacity for self-regulation, relegating the individual to a more reactive and less adaptive mode of functioning—the so-called “survival mode.”

Evidence-based recommendations:

• Disconnect from electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime to promote melatonin production.

• Create an appropriate environment: darkness, a comfortable temperature, and a relaxing pre-sleep routine such as reading or meditating.

• Maintain consistent sleep schedules, even on weekends.

  
  

2. Nutrition: Feeding the Brain for Clarity and Self-Regulation

Proper nutrition is essential for optimal brain functioning. Numerous studies indicate that skipping breakfast, excessive consumption of sugars or trans fats, and disorganized eating patterns negatively affect neuronal plasticity and the levels of neurotransmitters involved in executive functions and emotional regulation.

Grounded suggestions:

• Structure and anticipate food intake to avoid impulsive decisions or skipping important meals.

• Prioritize hydration, favoring water or tea and reducing the consumption of sugary drinks.

• Set achievable and specific goals, such as starting the day with breakfast, reading labels, or distributing meals across five daily eating moments.

  
  

3. Physical Exercise: A Catalyst for Holistic Well-Being

Regular exercise is one of the most powerful stimuli for the development and maintenance of executive functions. Physical activity increases the release of endorphins, promotes neurogenesis, and optimizes brain metabolism, resulting in improvements in memory, mood, and self-regulation. In addition, it fosters discipline and consistency—key capacities for sustaining habits and achieving goals.

Practical recommendations:

• Assign physical exercise a fixed time slot, just like any important professional commitment.

• Vary activities according to interests and motivation levels.

• Seek social support; exercising with others increases adherence and enjoyment.

• Track progress and celebrate achievements, even the most modest ones.

  
  

4. Introspection: The Transformative Habit for Personal Development

Conscious introspection allows individuals to identify patterns of self-deception and the excuses that perpetuate dysfunctional habits, such as procrastination or self-limitation. This exercise, recommended by authors such as Tuckman, involves observing one’s own behaviors honestly, learning from mistakes, and gradually transforming weaknesses into areas of growth. Set aside weekly time to reflect on one area for improvement, document small advances, and recognize situations in which you overcame a difficulty, even incrementally. These records not only foster self-understanding but also reinforce the perception of real progress.

Conclusion

Current science strongly supports the idea that building and maintaining healthy habits constitutes the essential foundation for optimizing executive functions and, consequently, emotional well-being and personal and professional performance. Although no one has absolute control over all life factors, consistency in small daily choices is the surest path toward continuous improvement and the achievement of meaningful goals.

Main reference:

Ari Tuckman, PsyD, MBA. (2012). Understand Your Brain, Get More Done: The ADHD Executive Functions Workbook. Florida, USA.