- What Are Executive Function Challenges?
- The DOING Method: 5 Executive Function Hacks
- Hack #1: Discover Your Strengths and Weaknesses
- Hack #2: Outline a Plan
- Hack #3: Initiate Your SMART Goals
- Hack #4. Nurture Your Process
- Hack #5. Get Together With Others and Celebrate
- What to Expect When You Start the DOING Method
Feeling stuck is common for students especially when they’re juggling multiple assignments, deadlines, and distractions. Sometimes the sheer number of tasks makes it feel easier to do nothing at all. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
In this post, we’ll walk through five effective executive function hacks that help students move from overwhelmed to organized. These strategies are based on real coaching tools we use with students every day. They’re easy to try and designed to build momentum, even when motivation is low.
What Are Executive Function Challenges?
Executive function challenges fall into three categories:
- Big Picture Thinking: Includes planning, time management, and organization. If you’ve ever struggled to break down a big project or manage long-term assignments, then you may have experienced big picture challenges.
- Getting Things Done: Involves focus, sustained attention, and following through. It’s about creating a productive environment and sticking with tasks even when distractions pop up.
- Brain Stuff: Emotional regulation and impulse control. This could show up as frustration, avoidance, or reacting impulsively when school stress builds up.
These areas impact how students learn and manage responsibilities. But the good news is, you can build these skills with the right strategies.
The DOING Method: 5 Executive Function Hacks
To overcome these challenges, we teach a simple framework called the DOING method. Each letter stands for a step in the process: Discover, Outline, Initiate, Nurture, and Get together.
Let’s break them down.
Hack #1: Discover Your Strengths and Weaknesses
Before you can make meaningful progress, it helps to know where you thrive and where you need support.
Start by journaling or talking with someone you trust:
- What parts of school come easily to you?
- What tasks consistently feel hard?
- How do you usually respond to stress?
For example, I’ve found that I’m really good at breaking down big projects into smaller, manageable tasks. That part comes naturally to me. But I struggle with prioritization. Sometimes everything feels equally important, which makes it hard to know where to begin. What helps is journaling all my tasks in one place so I can step back and see what’s high, medium, and low priority. Talking it through with someone else also brings clarity. And occasionally, I go for a walk just to reset and think it through more clearly.
Knowing your strengths helps you lean into what works. Identifying your weaknesses helps you find tools and support to improve.
Hack #2: Outline a Plan
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
If your goal is to ace an English essay, but you don’t plan when to start, you’re relying on luck. Instead, outline the steps:
- Break the assignment into chunks (thesis, outline, intro, etc.)
- Assign tasks to specific days using online sticky notes
- Block out writing time in Google Calendar
- Use task management apps to track and check off progress
When you map out the process, you make your goal actionable. Need help exploring digital organization tools? See our blog on the 3 Tech Tips to Help You Get Organized for School, which shares student-friendly strategies that work.
Hack #3: Initiate Your SMART Goals
Now that you have a plan, you can then turn it into a SMART goal. A goal is considered SMART if it is:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Realistic
- Time-bound
Let’s say your SMART goal is to get hired at a grocery store by summer. You’ve made it measurable and tied it to a timeline. You also know your “why”, like maybe you want more independence or to save for something meaningful. Knowing your motivation gives you energy when things get tough.
If you’re having a hard time starting and focusing on your SMART goals, some tips are:
- Find a quiet space with fewer distractions
- Use chunking to group related tasks
- Try time blocking by assigning specific types of work to certain times of day
- Apply the Pomodoro technique: work in short, focused bursts and reward yourself with breaks
Want to maximize those breaks productively? Read How to Coach Teens to Maximize Their Breaks for ideas that keep momentum going.
Hack #4: Nurture Your Process
Consistency builds confidence.
Once you’ve tried a tool like Google Calendar or a physical planner, use it consistently for at least a month before switching.
You can reflect weekly by asking questions like:
- What’s working well?
- What’s not working?
- What do you want to tweak?
For example, if digital tools feel too impersonal, try switching to a paper planner. If your task list overwhelms you, simplify it with fewer priorities each day. Improvement comes from iteration, not perfection.
Students building their own systems can benefit from long-term executive function coaching. See Should My Child Work With an Executive Function (EF) Coach? for signs that personalized support may help.
Hack #5: Get Together With Others and Celebrate
Progress feels easier when you don’t go it alone. Share your goals with friends, family, or mentors so they can cheer you on.
Celebrating small wins keeps your energy up. Even completing one step of a larger project is worth recognizing. Post your progress, talk about it with someone, or just write it down in a journal.
It’s not about being perfect. It’s about showing up again tomorrow.
What to Expect When You Start the DOING Method
These strategies aren’t meant to work overnight. Like any new habit, they take time to refine. The first time might feel clunky. The second time gets easier. The third time builds confidence.
Each time you practice the DOING method (Discover, Outline, Initiate, Nurture, and Get together) you move one step closer to building systems that help you feel more in control.
So take one step today. Then try again tomorrow.
