My Brain Isn’t Braining
My Brain Isn’t “Braining”
A young girl said this to me at the end of our coaching session together and I was so struck by how simple and truthful this statement must have been for her. Haven’t we all felt this way at some point? For some of us, children up through adults, this is how it feels when we are having challenges with our executive function skills.
These skills are the “control center” of our brain, specifically in the prefrontal cortex, that help us to plan, organize, prioritize, and problem solve in order to manage our daily tasks. Executive function skills develop from birth up until about age 25, with most of the growth happening during early childhood and adolescence. For some, these skills take longer to develop and this is when children or adolescents may struggle in school or at home with tasks such as remembering homework assignments, starting or completing tasks, and organizing their materials.
The good news is, with practice and training, these skills can become strengths that lead to self-confidence, more efficient study habits, and academic success. Here are a few of these essential executive function skills and some simple skill- boosting strategies:
Skill: Planning and Prioritizing -This is our ability to create a roadmap to reach a goal or to complete a task..
Strategies:
“Braindump”- at the beginning of each week, list all the tasks you need to do this week.
Prioritize - decide which tasks need to be done first and which tasks can wait.
Triage - enter just the top 3 tasks in a calendar or planner.
Skill: Organization- The ability to create and maintain systems to keep track of information or materials.
Strategies:
Study space
Use a comfortable desk and chair in a space away from distractions.
Label shelves, bins, boxes for necessary supplies.
Designate a junk bin that can be cleaned out weekly.
Backpacks
Use a three-ring binder with labeled folders for each subject.
Create a toolkit with all necessary materials (pens,pencils,sticky notes).
Pick a day each week to clean out.
Skill: Time Management- Our capacity to estimate and allocate time for tasks, meet deadlines.
Strategies:
Use an analog clock to practice time-estimation.
Use a planner or calendar system to set aside chunks of time in your day for tasks.
Break down tasks into smaller, more manageable amounts of time on task.
There are so many strategies to help strengthen our executive function skills and these are just a sample. The key is to try out some strategies and see what works for you or your child. With practice, consistency, and support, you can successfully build strong skills for success!
