Life Skills & Project Execution
Can you notice what needs doing, make a workable plan, adapt when it fails, and finish without being constantly managed? Cooking and laundry matter, but adulthood also requires follow-through and judgment.
Independent Living and Project Execution Skills for Teens
The Floor sets minimum day-to-day independence and execution. The broader map includes complex projects, initiative, coordination, and increasingly self-directed responsibility.
What young adults should be able to do by 18 · The formal Floor: Domain 10
The Floor for This Domain
The non-negotiable minimum. This is the contract, not the menu — what a floor-complete 18-year-old must actually be able to do.
- Run their own life: wake up, manage time, meet obligations, handle logistics—without external scaffolding
- Plan and execute a project from idea to completion—set goals, break them down, adapt when things go sideways, finish
- Handle the unglamorous stuff: clean, cook, do laundry, maintain a living space, manage paperwork
- Navigate bureaucracies: fill out forms, deal with institutions, get what they need from systems that aren't designed to help them
- Advocate for themselves in systems—medical, legal, educational, workplace—know when they're being dismissed, how to escalate, when to push back, and how to get a second opinion
- Handle the core tasks of independent travel—routes, bookings, documents, disruptions—without being helpless, even if they check in with backup
- Fix basic things before calling an expert—troubleshoot, attempt repairs, know their limits
- Work with others: collaborate, delegate, resolve conflict, give and receive feedback without falling apart
- Operate in ambiguity—move forward when there's no clear answer, make decisions with incomplete information
- Learn anything they need to learn—know how to find resources, structure their own learning, and push through the hard parts without a teacher
- Reflect on what's working and what isn't—adjust course rather than blindly repeating what failed
Not on the Floor
- Mastery of any specific trade skill
- Owning a home or car
- Having it all figured out
- Perfection in execution
The Broader Map
The fuller landscape this domain engages over time. Inclusion here does not by itself make a competency mandatory.
Core Outcomes
- Be capable, adaptable & self-reliant in real-world settings
- Execute ideas from concept to reality, managing time & resources
Key Competencies
- Goal-setting & time management
- Planning, scheduling & logistics
- Follow-through, responsibility & execution under ambiguity
- Household management (cleaning, maintenance, food prep)
- Survival skills & crisis problem-solving
- Driving, navigation, travel independence & unfamiliar-system navigation
- Operating tools, appliances & machinery
- DIY building & repairs
- Legal rights & systems for international travelers
- Self-advocacy in medical, legal, educational & workplace systems
- Conflict resolution & interpersonal repair
- Collaborative teamwork & shared execution
- Navigating ambiguity & open-ended problems
- Project ownership & accountability
- Learning-how-to-learn (metacognition strategies)
- Documentation & portfolio building (meta-skill)
- Bringing ideas to real-world implementation
- Career exploration, internships & apprenticeships as real-world implementation pathways
Evidence Examples
trip plans, repair photos, time-use dashboards, capstone retrospectives, etc.
How It Builds
Long-runway domain that overlaps everything else. Executive function, self-management, and practical competence build over years. This is the 'glue' domain—running your own life.
Written for adults: developmental signals are prompts to investigate, not diagnoses or verdicts.
Early Childhood (18 months – 5 years)
On track
- Follows simple routines with support
- Helps with age-appropriate tasks
- Begins cleaning up after themselves
- Can complete simple multi-step tasks
- Beginning to dress themselves
- Developing patience and waiting ability
Worth investigating
- Cannot follow any routine
- No interest in helping or doing for themselves
- Cannot complete any multi-step task
- Severe executive function deficits
What's building: Basic self-care. Routine following. Helping habits.
Middle Childhood (6 – 9 years)
On track
- Manages age-appropriate responsibilities
- Completes homework/tasks without constant oversight
- Follows multi-step instructions
- Does assigned chores
- Can work on a project over days
- Beginning time awareness
- Can pack own bag, remember own things
Worth investigating
- Cannot complete any task without hand-holding
- No sense of responsibility for own things
- Cannot follow multi-step directions
- No time awareness at all
What's building: Responsibility habits. Task completion. Time awareness. Basic planning.
Late Childhood / Early Adolescence (10 – 13 years)
On track
- Manages own schedule and obligations
- Completes multi-week projects
- Does household tasks (cooking, cleaning, laundry)
- Can navigate simple bureaucracies (library, ordering food)
- Plans ahead for events and deadlines
- Takes initiative on problems
- Can travel independently in familiar areas
- Beginning to advocate for themselves
Worth investigating
- Cannot manage any obligations without external scaffolding
- Cannot complete any project
- Does nothing around the house
- Cannot navigate any system independently
- No concept of planning ahead
What's building: Self-management. Project completion. Practical skills. System navigation.
Adolescence (14 – 18 years)
On track
- Runs own life: time, obligations, logistics
- Plans and executes projects from idea to completion
- Handles unglamorous stuff: clean, cook, maintain
- Navigates bureaucracies: forms, institutions, systems
- Advocates for themselves: medical, legal, educational
- Handles independent travel in unfamiliar cities/countries: routes, bookings, disruptions
- Fixes basic things before calling expert
- Works with others: collaborate, delegate, resolve conflict
- Operates in ambiguity: decides with incomplete info
- Learns anything they need: finds resources, structures learning
- Reflects and adjusts: knows what's working, what isn't
Worth investigating
- Cannot run own life without constant scaffolding
- Cannot complete any significant project
- Cannot do basic household tasks
- Cannot navigate any bureaucracy
- Cannot advocate for themselves at all
- Cannot travel independently
- Cannot work with others
- Paralyzed by ambiguity
- Cannot learn new things without formal instruction
What's building: Self-directed adult competence. Project execution. Self-advocacy. Learning how to learn.