I participated in the two opening sessions of the Stern Center’s new Learning at Lunch series at Three Tomatoes restaurants in Williston and Lebanon. The topic for this initial pair was Executive Function, which it turns out is simply new jargon for old, essential concepts of organizing, planning, priority setting, time management, self-monitoring, adaptable thinking…things we all need, but many people do not acquire without direct instruction and practice. These are the skill set of our brain’s CEO, and unfortunately we begin needing them as children in school, way before our brain is developed sufficiently to actually apply them. Clearly this is an area we should be incorporating into school curriculums. While the kids aren’t likely ready, we can at least help them by our own better framing of assignments, projects, expectations. Sometimes, they really are just acting their ages! Recent brain research has revealed that the frontal cortex, the vehicle for this CEO, is not fully developed until we reach our twenties. And of course, since I was one of the few men in attendance, there was much discussion about men’s brains developing slower than women’s….you get where that was going! But, seriously, the bottom line here is that most of us misplace mail, forget an appointment, misjudge how long a project will take or simply lose track of time….occasionally. However, when those challenges truly interfere with our daily life, our work, or our relationships, that’s an indication we might need outside assistance in working on the cognitive muscles necessary to develop better executive function.