High School 2e Executive Function Back to School Reboot

High school brings an increase in EF demands, as students are expected to take more responsibility for tracking assignments, managing their workload, and juggling more challenging classes. With the right strategies in place, the high school transition can be a valuable opportunity to level up your 2e teenager’s EF skills. 

Tip 1: Adopt Simple Organizational Habits

I’ve squandered countless hours on elaborate, overly ambitious organization schemes and time management approaches that last a week or two before becoming too cumbersome to sustain. Thus, I’ve learned to appreciate the value of small, simple actions repeated consistently. The following habits each take under two minutes, and they can have enormous benefits for overall organization.

• Take two minutes in the evening to lay out the next day’s clothes. You could even pack a bag/backpack if you’re feeling ambitious.

• Place a whiteboard next to the door and list 3-5 essential items (keys, backpacks, lunchboxes, headphones, phones, etc.). Before leaving, check to make sure you have said items.

Tip: Any statement that begins with, “You need to…” will almost certainly be ignored. These strategies will be more effective if you implement them with your kids: “Let’s take a minute to [insert thing here]...”

Tip 2: Get a Planner

High school is the perfect time for teenagers to start tracking their homework independently. I recommend starting with a simple, low-friction planning system–no need to get lost in the online rabbit hole of hypercomplicated productivity methods.

The first question to ask is whether you want a digital or physical planner. Each option has pros and cons.

Digital systems are higher-capacity, accessible across devices, and hard to lose. Todoist, Google Keep, MyHomework Student Planner, TickTick, Any.do, and Minimalist are great options.

Physical planners often provide a sense of calm to teenagers who get overwhelmed easily. Visual layouts are especially beneficial for those with ADHD or time-blindness. Teens who enjoy arts and crafts might have fun customizing and color-coding, and a more aesthetically pleasing planner is more likely to be used.

Tip: Beware the Canvas illusion. Learning management systems (LMSs) like Canvas, Blackboard, and Schoology resemble planners in that they aggregate and organize school assignments. Thus, I have the following conversation at least once a month:

Lucy: I would recommend using a planner.

Student: I don’t need a planner. I have Canvas.

My response is always the same. Canvas and the like create a false sense of organization, but they aren’t adequate substitutes for planners. Here’s why:

• These systems only show tasks assigned by teachers. Students can’t add or remove additional to-do items. Not only does this reduce the LMS’s functionality, it also removes an opportunity for students to develop EF skills.

• Teachers use these systems differently. Some might upload work at the last minute; others have the full semester’s worth. Some might not even use the online platform at all. As a result, it’s possible for a student to do every assignment on Canvas and still miss crucial tasks.

• Some students use Canvas as a cop-out or an excuse for not being on top of homework: “Well, my teacher didn’t post it in the normal place, so how was I supposed to know?” In some cases, this really is on the teacher, but generally, high school students are responsible for knowing what work is assigned.

The bottom line: Get a planner! 

Tip 3: Set Up A Shared Family Calendar

These tools are convenient, as they allow you to have a family calendar, a household calendar, a kid-specific calendar, and more. They also help facilitate the shift from parents managing schedules to kids taking responsibility for their own. For example, during the first semester of high school, you might handle entering your kids’ activities, but by the next semester, they can start taking on that task. 

You can also set a good example by adding relevant details (flight boarding passes, addresses, tickets) to calendar events. Or you can be like my dad and entertain the family by occasionally adding your personal events to the shared calendar. It seems that I’ll be having “lunch with Steve” next Tuesday and an ambiguously named “appointment” on September 16th. I’m not sure who Steve is, but he sounds great.

Tip 4: Encourage Good Study Habits

The study habits that were effective in middle school often aren’t suitable for the heavier workloads in high school. These tips will help rising freshmen establish a solid study foundation.

Take a 30-minute break between school and homework. Very few high schoolers have the stamina to go straight from a day of classes to homework. Half an hour should be just enough to relax and reset.

Set up the environment. Our physical and digital surroundings have an enormous impact on our state of mind and behavior. The following changes can help teenagers enter and stay in homework mode:

• Close distracting tabs and applications

• Mute notifications

• Put away potentially distracting items–but note that one kid’s distractor is another’s accommodation. Stim toys can provide helpful sensory input

• Have a visual timer of some sort handy

• Lay out necessary supplies

• Put up a politely phrased “do not disturb” sign

Map out the day’s work visually: a physical planner, whiteboard, or Google Spreadsheet can help teenagers map out exactly what they need to do. With practice, 2e teens will also get better at estimating how long a task will take and planning accordingly.

Take breaks. Many of the students I work with are reluctant to take breaks once they get started. I usually make the case like this: “You can’t focus indefinitely because nobody can. At some point, your concentration will wane, and you’ll find yourself drifting off to another task. That means you have two options. You can either 1) schedule a break proactively and be in control or your attention, or 2) keep going until you’re too tired to focus, at which point it becomes harder to return to the task.”

Many high schoolers also benefit from identifying things to do during breaks. Stretching, fidget toys, going on a quick walk, working on a puzzle, eating a snack, doing origami, and petting a dog are all great options. Petting a cat works, too.

Tip 5: Explore Other Resources

For all its pitfalls, the internet is a phenomenal source of EF guidance. Here are some of my favorite sites, YouTube channels, and browser extensions:

Understood.org – Offers tools, articles, and resources specifically focused on executive functioning, ADHD, and learning differences.

ADDitude Magazine – Covers ADHD and related executive function challenges with tips for teens and their parents. I don’t have ADHD, and I still find many of these tips invaluable.

How to ADHD – Offers digestible, practical videos on executive function, time management, and organization. I especially love this video on procrastination.

Solving Procrastination – A phenomenal science-based resource that breaks down different types of procrastination, explains underlying mechanisms, and lays out solutions

StudyHacks – Blog by Cal Newport, who writes about deep work, slow productivity, avoiding digital distractions, and more. I consider this an advanced EF resource, best suited to those who have solid skills in place and are ready for hard-core planning and organization.

Apps, Extensions, and Sites

Take a Five – Automatically closes a tab after a predetermined time, letting you take a quick break without getting sidetracked.

PomoFocus – Uses the Pomodoro technique, interspersing 25-minute work intervals with five-minute breaks.

Unhook – Removes YouTube distractions, including recommendations and autoplay.

SelfControl – Free Mac app that blocks websites for customizable intervals.

Goblin Tools – Cuts through task paralysis by breaking big tasks into smaller steps, scaffolding decision-making, estimating how long activities will take, and more.

Written? Kitten! – For every 100 words you write, the site shows you a kitten! Note: This works best if you like kittens.

About Lucy: I graduated from Stanford in 2024 with a degree in psychology and Slavic Studies. I currently live in Boston and work as a writing tutor with a focus on supporting 2e/neurodivergent students. I've been involved in the neurodiversity world since I was diagnosed with autism at age 18. I hope to pursue a PhD in psychology and develop evidence-based interventions to help neurodivergent students write. For tutoring inquiries, please check out my website!