Executive Functioning Deep Dive Part 4: Perseverance

Jena Bus

If you’ve been following along in our Executive Functioning Deep Dive series, you’ve already read about the importance of time management and planning skills. These foundational executive functioning skills help us organize our day, set goals, and use our time wisely. Today, we’re exploring the next crucial piece of the puzzle: perseverance.

But what exactly is perseverance, and why is it considered an executive functioning skill?

What Is Perseverance?

Perseverance is the ability to stick with a task or goal even when it becomes challenging, frustrating, or boring. It’s what keeps us going when our initial motivation has faded, or when things don’t go according to plan.

A simple way to define perseverance is:

Finishing what you started, even when it’s hard.

You might recognize this struggle in yourself or others. Have you ever started:

  • Renovating a room that’s still incomplete?
  • Hanging pictures that are still leaning against the wall months later?
  • A writing project, painting, or craft that never got finished?

If so, you’re not alone—and it doesn’t mean you’re lazy or unmotivated. It often means that perseverance, as an executive functioning skill, needs a little strengthening.

Why Perseverance Matters in Everyday Life

Perseverance is vital to success in nearly every area of life. Whether you’re a student, parent, employee, or entrepreneur, the ability to push through obstacles and setbacks is what turns ideas into accomplishments. In kids, perseverance is what helps them:

  • Complete school assignments
  • Stick with extracurricular activities
  • Learn new skills like riding a bike or playing an instrument

In adults, perseverance helps us:

  • Finish work projects
  • Meet long-term goals (like saving money or earning a degree)
  • Maintain relationships and health routines

Without perseverance, even the best time management or planning skills can fall apart.

Why Is Perseverance an Executive Functioning Skill?

Executive functioning is a set of mental processes that help us plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and manage multiple tasks successfully. Perseverance is closely tied to several of these processes:

  • Working memory (holding onto your goal while managing distractions)
  • Emotional regulation (managing frustration or boredom)
  • Impulse control (resisting the urge to give up when it gets hard)
  • Goal-directed persistence (a subcategory often used in clinical executive functioning models)

In short, perseverance is the follow-through—the bridge between starting something and actually completing it.

Signs Someone Struggles with Perseverance

If you or someone you know finds it hard to finish tasks, they may struggle with perseverance. Here are common signs:

  • Starting multiple projects but finishing none
  • Giving up quickly when something becomes difficult
  • Struggling to maintain focus after initial excitement fades
  • Relying heavily on external reminders or deadlines
  • Feeling overwhelmed by long-term goals

Children and teens with ADHD or other executive functioning challenges often experience this. But adults do, too—especially under stress, fatigue, or lack of routine.

7 Strategies to Build Perseverance at Home and Work

So if perseverance is a challenge, what can you do about it? The good news is that executive functioning skills are teachable and coachable, including perseverance. Here are seven practical strategies to help build perseverance in yourself, your child, or your clients.

1. Break It Down

Large tasks can feel overwhelming. Break them into smaller, more manageable steps. For example, instead of “redo the bedroom,” break it down into:

  • Choose paint color
  • Buy supplies
  • Paint one wall per day
  • Rearrange furniture

Each small win builds momentum.

2. Use Visual Progress Trackers

Visual cues like checklists, charts, or progress bars help the brain recognize progress. Seeing movement toward a goal can keep motivation high, especially for visual learners.

You can:

  • Use a wall chart for home projects
  • Set up a Trello board for digital progress
  • Create sticker charts for kids

3. Practice “Productive Stopping”

Teach yourself or your child to stop tasks intentionally instead of abandoning them. Before stopping:

  • Leave a note for where to pick up next time
  • Set a return time or alarm
  • Celebrate the partial progress

This prevents the “all-or-nothing” mindset that leads to chronic unfinished tasks.

4. Reinforce Effort, Not Just Outcome

Praise effort and persistence more than results. For example:

  • “You worked really hard to stay focused for 20 minutes.”
  • “You stuck with that even when it was frustrating—great job!”

This reinforces the process of perseverance, not just the finish line.

5. Set Realistic Timeframes

Some people give up when goals take longer than expected. Build in buffer time and flexible deadlines, especially for kids. Teach them (and yourself) that progress isn’t always linear—and that’s okay.

6. Use Accountability

Whether it’s a friend, mentor, therapist, or coach, external accountability can help build internal discipline. Schedule check-ins or progress updates. For families, use family meetings or “goal sharing” nights.

7. Reflect on Past Wins

When you feel like giving up, look back on things you did finish. What helped you succeed then? What skills did you use? This builds confidence and reminds you that you’ve persevered before—and can again.

Supporting Kids and Teens with Perseverance

For parents or teachers, helping children build perseverance is especially important. Consider these additional tips:

  • Use storybooks and movies that highlight perseverance (e.g., The Little Engine That Could)
  • Make perseverance part of your language at home: “We try again,” “Mistakes help us grow,” “We finish what we start”
  • Model it yourself—talk about challenges you’re working through and how you’re sticking with them

When kids see adults grappling with and overcoming hard things, they learn that setbacks are normal and success comes with effort.

Final Thoughts: Perseverance Is a Skill You Can Strengthen

If you’re someone who starts strong but struggles to finish, you’re not alone. Many of us need support developing the skill of perseverance. Just like muscles, executive functioning skills get stronger with practice. By breaking tasks into smaller steps, tracking progress, and celebrating effort—not perfection—you can begin to turn “I give up” into “I can keep going.”

Perseverance is more than grit. It’s a cognitive and emotional skill that can be nurtured in both kids and adults.