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    Interactive assessment

    Brain Health & Focus Diagnostic

    Assess the daily habits and routines that determine your cognitive performance, focus and mental energy across four foundational dimensions.

    The McKinsey Health Institute's research on Brain Capital shows that cognitive health, your ability to think clearly, focus deeply and perform consistently, is directly determined by daily habits that most people never deliberately examine. This diagnostic helps you identify which habits are protecting your performance and which are quietly eroding it.

    Questions or items
    20 questions or items
    Completion time
    Around 10 minutes
    Dimensions
    Physical Habits & Energy, Mental Fitness & Focus, Sleep & Recovery, Social Connection & Purpose
    What you receive
    Personalised results with result bands, section scores and development guidance.

    What it covers

    • Physical Habits & Energy
    • Mental Fitness & Focus
    • Sleep & Recovery
    • Social Connection & Purpose

    Rate each statement from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree) based on your typical week, not your best week. The most useful results come from honest self-assessment.

    Results: Personalised results with result bands, section scores and development guidance.

    How this interactive diagnostic works

    Read what it covers here first. Nothing is saved or sent until you continue. Your result is calculated once every required item is answered.

    If it asks for your first name and work email, you enter them in the diagnostic itself. This page sends nothing.

    Statements in this diagnostic

    Statements are grouped by section. Answer each one for the situation named in the instructions, using the scale shown.

    Physical Habits & Energy

    Physical activity, nutrition and physical recovery are foundational to cognitive performance, the brain requires physical health to function at its best.

    1. I exercise at moderate-to-high intensity at least three times per week
    2. I manage my nutrition in a way that supports sustained energy, avoiding crashes from sugar or caffeine dependency
    3. I take physical breaks during the working day, I don't sit and work for more than 90 minutes without moving
    4. My energy levels across the working day are consistent, not significantly higher in the morning and depleted by afternoon
    5. I have a morning routine that sets me up for peak performance rather than launching straight into reactive tasks

    Mental Fitness & Focus

    Cognitive fitness is built through practices that train the brain to sustain attention, manage distraction and recover effectively.

    1. I can work in deep, uninterrupted focus for 60 to 90 minutes without checking email, messages or social media
    2. I protect blocks of time for cognitively demanding work, I do not let reactive tasks fill my most productive hours
    3. I use deliberate practices (e.g. mindfulness, journalling, reflection) to maintain mental clarity and manage stress
    4. I am aware of the conditions in which I do my best thinking and deliberately create those conditions
    5. I am able to disengage from work mentally at the end of the day, work doesn't dominate my mind in evenings or at weekends

    Sleep & Recovery

    Sleep is the brain's primary maintenance and consolidation system, nothing else replaces it, and chronic under-sleep measurably impairs cognitive performance.

    1. I consistently sleep 7 to 9 hours per night, not just occasionally
    2. I wake up feeling genuinely rested most days, not reliant on caffeine to function in the morning
    3. I have a consistent sleep schedule, I go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time each day
    4. I limit screen exposure and stimulating activities in the hour before sleep
    5. When my sleep is disrupted, I take active steps to recover, I don't just accept chronic under-sleep as normal

    Social Connection & Purpose

    Strong social connections and a sense of purpose are as important to brain health as physical habits, and are often the first things to erode under workplace pressure.

    1. I have meaningful relationships at work, people I genuinely trust and can be honest with
    2. I feel a clear sense of purpose in my work, I understand why what I do matters
    3. I invest in relationships outside of work, family, friends, community, not just professional contacts
    4. I do not feel chronically isolated or disconnected at work, even in hybrid or remote environments
    5. I regularly do things that are completely unrelated to work that I find personally meaningful

    How the result is read

    Your answers are totalled for each section and overall. Each total falls into one of the bands below.

    • At Risk, 20 to 44: Your current habits are likely to be significantly limiting your cognitive performance. Start with Sleep, it has the highest return on investment of any brain health habit. Even one week of consistent 7+ hour sleep produces measurable improvements in focus, memory and decision quality.
    • Developing, 45 to 64: A mixed picture, some habits are working well, others are creating cognitive drag. Look at your lowest section and choose one specific behaviour to change this week. Mental Fitness (specifically deep work practice) is the area where most Developing scorers have the fastest gains available.
    • Healthy, 65 to 82: Your brain health habits are broadly healthy. You are protecting your cognitive performance in most areas. Look at your lowest section and consider what one change would make the biggest difference.
    • Optimised, 83 to 100: Excellent brain health habits across all four dimensions. You are investing seriously in your cognitive performance. At this level, the next priority is sustainability, are these habits ones you can maintain for 10+ years, or are some of them more heroic than habitual?

    Sources named in this diagnostic

    • McKinsey Health Institute (2023) Reframing Employee Health: Moving Beyond Physical to Holistic. McKinsey & Company.
    • Walker, M. (2017) Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams. London: Allen Lane.
    • Newport, C. (2016) Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. London: Piatkus.

    Where to take the next step

    Executive coaching creates space to build self-awareness, work through leadership challenges and sustain performance.

    Explore Executive Coaching

    Frequently asked questions

    What does the Brain Health & Focus Diagnostic measure?

    The McKinsey Health Institute's research on Brain Capital shows that cognitive health, your ability to think clearly, focus deeply and perform consistently, is directly determined by daily habits that most people never deliberately examine. This diagnostic helps you identify which habits are protecting your performance and which are quietly eroding it.

    How many questions are in the Brain Health & Focus Diagnostic?

    It contains 20 questions grouped into 4 dimensions: Physical Habits & Energy, Mental Fitness & Focus, Sleep & Recovery, Social Connection & Purpose.

    How is the Brain Health & Focus Diagnostic scored?

    Responses are totalled within each section and across the diagnostic, and each total falls into a result band.

    What happens after I complete the Brain Health & Focus Diagnostic?

    Once the required items are answered, you enter your first name and email to see your results: an overall interpretation, section scores and development guidance.