Whether you’re a high school student or an established professional, being able to self-monitor is a vital skill. Self-monitoring helps you process emotions, make decisions, and more. Strong self-monitoring can also have a positive impact on a range of other Executive Function (EF) skills. According to one study, self-monitoring can encourage the development of self-determination skills. Learning more about the connection between self-monitoring and EF skills can help you understand where an effective improvement journey might begin.
Trouble with self-monitoring is often behind other kinds of Executive Dysfunction. For example, if your child appears to be lazy when doing homework, their lack of motivation could be connected to undeveloped self-monitoring skills. This can also apply to adults — for example, if you end up consistently behind on your work and experience a constant lack of motivation. Do you want to improve your child’s EF skills and get things done more efficiently? An on-demand webinar about motivation for kids can be a great start. You or your child may also benefit from individualized coaching and other specialized EF programs. An EF coach may focus on training self-monitoring as a way to facilitate the development of other important skills.
What is self-monitoring?
Self-monitoring starts with self-awareness. To self-monitor is to make a conscious effort to be aware of one’s own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. You can think of self-monitoring as an essential part of a personal feedback loop. When you or your child is engaging in an activity, self-monitoring can help you evaluate the effectiveness of your actions. If you find room for improvement in yourself or your child, you can start to take actions that build toward progress.
Self-monitoring is useful because it can be applied in many different aspects of life. Whether it’s working on a class assignment or a project at work, self-monitoring can enable a person to stay on track. This might involve asking important questions. For example, while working on homework, your child may ask themselves, “Am I staying focused?” With introspection, they can determine whether they were actually thinking about their homework or they were distracted. As an adult, self-monitoring is key to keeping up with responsibilities, ranging from buying groceries to paying bills. Self-monitoring can be more in-depth as well. If you want to engage in more detailed self-monitoring, you can keep track of your progress through productivity apps and checklists. Your or your child’s EF coach can also help you find effective self-monitoring strategies.
How does self-monitoring connect to other Executive Function skills?
Executive Function skills are mental abilities a person uses in everyday functioning. These skills relate to planning, organizing, task prioritization, and more. Self-monitoring can help you or your child hone these skills in many different ways. EF skills connected to self-monitoring include:
- Organization — Do you have trouble sticking to plans and staying organized? Self-monitoring can help. When you monitor yourself, you can make continual checks to ensure that you’re following your plan and staying on pace. Self-monitoring can also help a person identify any concerns early. If your child is making less progress than expected on an assignment, for example, they can set out to identify the obstacle in their way. Identifying difficulties early can be key to effective intervention. In some cases, you may need to adjust your plans to keep things moving smoothly. Your EF coach can work with you to build plans that match your needs, capabilities, and goals. If your child is struggling to stay organized, EF coaching may benefit them as well.
- Impulse control — Self-monitoring can help prevent impulsive decisions. By maintaining persistent self-awareness, you can catch yourself when the urge arises to act on impulse. Controlling impulsive behaviors can be difficult for both children and adults. For many people, impulsive behaviors become habitual and almost unconscious. A person who is prone to impulsive behavior may find themselves engaging in distracting activities when they’re supposed to be taking care of something important. For example, your child may end up on social media while writing an essay without even noticing the shift. Self-monitoring can make them more aware of impulsive thoughts and behaviors, empowering them to redirect their focus and stay on track.
- Working memory — The brain stores memory in many different ways. One way is called working memory, which is the information the brain temporarily processes while working on a task. Remembering a phone number you need to call is an example of working memory. The phone number is a small piece of information you need to temporarily keep in the forefront of your awareness as you engage in the task of dialing the number. Other examples of working memory include recalling instructions and previous steps in your current task. Working memory, like other Executive Functions, can be taught and developed. Self-monitoring can help you improve this skill. When you self-monitor, you can think about what you’re supposed to be doing and work through a mental or physical checklist. If you think you or your child may need support in developing a sharper working memory, EF coaching may be beneficial.
Learn to self-monitor and build other EF skills with Beyond BookSmart
At Beyond BookSmart, we believe that Executive Function skills can be:
- Taught
- Learned
- Applied for success
This view informs all our Executive Function coaching services.
Our services are also customizable to each individual’s needs, learning differences, and emotional challenges. We can tailor your coaching to help you work on self-monitoring and other connected skills. This customization allows us to help every student and adult work toward becoming the most capable version of themselves.
Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an inquiry call.
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