Five executive function skills that help you manage work when your perimenopausal brain has changed, when you're juggling career demands and aging parents and your own health and everyone's depending on you and you can barely remember what you walked into a room for.
These skills let your brain hold complexity. And they make AI your advantage instead of your anxiety.
Breaking Stuff Down
Prevents paralysis when you're overwhelmed. Break projects into pieces you can actually start.
Why AI needs this:
AI can't handle "do everything." Break it down, and AI becomes useful instead of useless.
Finding the Real Problem
Saves precious energy. When you're foggy and exhausted, you can't waste time solving wrong problems.
Why AI needs this:
AI gives you what you ask for, not what you need. This skill makes you faster, not dangerous.
Saying What You Actually Need
Clear instructions save time. No energy for miscommunication. Say exactly what you need without wasting energy on politics.
Why AI needs this:
AI is literal. Clear requests = useful results. Vague requests = garbage.
Tweaking Until It's Right
Takes pressure off your foggy brain. Start rough, adjust as you go. This is self-compassion as a workplace skill.
Why AI needs this:
Nobody gets perfect output on try one. Iteration at the whole game with AI.
Knowing What Needs Your Eyes
Knowing What Needs Your Eyes
Protects your reputation when you can't trust your memory and attention like you used to. This is your safety net.
Why AI needs this:
AI hallucinates. Makes stuff up. This skill makes AI faster, not dangerous.
