🧠 Strategies for Developing
Executive Functions
Practical brain skills that help you plan, focus, remember, and get things done — without the overwhelm. A 4-week program built for neurodivergent minds.
What are Executive Functions?
Executive functions are the mental skills your brain uses to get things done. They're like your brain's management system — planning, organising, starting tasks, staying focused, and adapting when things change.
For neurodivergent students (ADHD, autism, dyslexia, anxiety), executive function challenges can make school feel ten times harder — even when you're brilliant. This program teaches you practical strategies that actually work for brains like yours.
What you'll learn each week
Each week focuses on a cluster of related skills. You'll learn the strategies, practise them with real tasks, and build habits that stick.
& Staying on Task
Overcome procrastination and task paralysis. Learn how to break the "I don't know where to start" freeze.
- The 2-minute rule for task initiation
- Breaking down overwhelming tasks into tiny steps
- Body doubling & accountability partners
- Pomodoro technique (adapted for ADHD brains)
& Time Management
Stop feeling blindsided by deadlines. Learn how to estimate time, plan realistically, and prioritise what actually matters.
- Time blindness hacks that work
- Eisenhower matrix for prioritising
- Backward planning from due dates
- Building in buffer time (because life happens)
& Organisation
Stop losing things, forgetting what you were doing, or re-reading the same paragraph five times. Build external systems that work.
- External brain systems (apps, lists, visuals)
- Chunking information to remember it
- Physical organisation strategies
- Note-taking methods for scattered brains
& Self-Regulation
Handle setbacks without spiralling. Learn to pivot when plans change and regulate your emotions when things get hard.
- When things don't go to plan (adapting on the fly)
- Emotional regulation tools (ADHD & autism-friendly)
- Recognising when you need a break vs when to push through
- Building a sustainable routine that bends without breaking
Everything you need to succeed
Task Breakdown Templates
Fill-in-the-blank worksheets for breaking big assignments into manageable chunks
Time Tracking Sheets
Learn how long tasks actually take so you can plan realistically
Weekly Planners
Visual, ADHD-friendly planners designed for brains that need structure without rigidity
Priority Sorter
Quick decision tool for "I don't know what to do first" moments
Regulation Toolkit
Sensory and emotional strategies for when you're dysregulated or overwhelmed
Habit Tracker
Build routines that stick without shame or pressure
Four weeks. Real change.
Watch & Learn
Short videos (5–12 min) explain each skill clearly with real examples
Try It Out
Practise with your own tasks using our templates and tools
Reflect & Adjust
Quick check-ins help you see what's working and what to tweak
Build Habits
By week 4, these strategies become your new default way of working
This program is for students who...
You don't need to tick every box — if a few of these sound familiar, this program will help.
Struggle with executive functions
You're smart but can't seem to get organised. Deadlines sneak up on you. You forget things constantly. Starting tasks feels impossible. You know what to do but can't make yourself do it.
Are neurodivergent or suspect they might be
ADHD, autism, dyslexia, anxiety, or just a brain that works differently. Traditional productivity advice doesn't work for you. You need strategies designed for brains like yours.
Want practical tools, not theory
You don't need another lecture about why planning is important. You need actual, usable strategies that work in real life — with templates, examples, and step-by-step instructions.
Are tired of feeling behind
Everyone else seems to have it figured out. You're working twice as hard and still falling behind. You're ready to learn systems that actually work for your brain instead of fighting against it.
🚀 Ready to start? The Practical Brain Skills program runs for 4 weeks with new content released each Monday. You can work at your own pace, revisit any week, and access all materials forever. Get in touch to enrol or ask questions.
Getting Started & Staying on Task
Overcome procrastination and task paralysis. This week you'll learn how to break the "I don't know where to start" freeze and build the habit of actually beginning — without waiting to feel ready.
Understanding why your brain resists starting is the first step. This lesson explains the neuroscience of task initiation in plain language — and why willpower alone never works.
- Why ADHD and neurodivergent brains experience "task paralysis" more intensely than neurotypical brains
- The difference between interest-based and importance-based motivation systems
- How anxiety and perfectionism make starting harder — not easier
- Why "just do it" advice is neurologically unhelpful (and what actually works instead)
Think of a task you've been avoiding. Write down:
1. What happens in your body/mind when you think about starting it?
2. What would need to be true for it to feel easier to begin?
3. Is it hard to start, hard to continue, or hard to know where to begin?
There are no right answers — this is just data about how your brain works.
The most powerful tool for task initiation is making the first step so small your brain can't argue with it. This lesson teaches you the 2-minute rule and how to shrink any task to its smallest possible starting point.
- The 2-minute rule: if it takes less than 2 minutes, do it now — and why this matters for building momentum
- How to write a "micro first step" for any task (so specific it takes less than 90 seconds)
- The difference between a project and a task — and why this distinction changes everything
- Using "implementation intentions": the formula "When X happens, I will do Y"
Pick 3 tasks from your current to-do list. For each one, write the tiniest possible first step. For example:
❌ "Study for maths test" → ✅ "Open my maths notebook to the right chapter"
❌ "Clean my room" → ✅ "Put the three things on my floor back where they belong"
❌ "Write my essay" → ✅ "Type my name and the title at the top of a blank document"
Use the Task Breakdown Template from your program toolkit.
Traditional Pomodoro (25 min work / 5 min break) doesn't always work for ADHD brains that hyperfocus or can't sustain 25 minutes. This lesson teaches you how to adapt it to your actual attention span.
- How the original Pomodoro technique works — and where it breaks down for neurodivergent brains
- How to find YOUR ideal work/break ratio (it's different for everyone — could be 10/5, 15/5, or even 45/15)
- What to do during breaks that actually restores your brain (hint: scrolling doesn't count)
- Managing hyperfocus: what to do when the timer goes off and you don't want to stop
Try 3 different Pomodoro ratios over 3 days and note how each one felt:
📅 Day 1: 15 min work / 5 min break
📅 Day 2: 25 min work / 5 min break
📅 Day 3: 10 min work / 3 min break
Rate each on: How easy was it to start? How focused did I feel? Did I finish the session? Record in your Habit Tracker.
Body doubling is one of the most effective (and underused) ADHD tools. Simply having another person nearby — even virtually — can dramatically improve your ability to start and stay on task.
- What body doubling is and why it works neurologically for ADHD and autism
- How to set up body doubling sessions with a friend, sibling, or classmate
- Virtual body doubling options (study-with-me YouTube videos, online accountability apps)
- How to be an accountability partner for someone else — what to say and what not to say
Try at least ONE body doubling session this week. Options:
👥 In-person: Ask a friend or family member to sit near you while you both work on separate tasks
💻 Virtual: Search YouTube for "study with me ADHD" and work alongside a video
📱 App: Try Focusmate (free sessions available) for a structured virtual co-working session
Afterwards, note: Did it help? Would you do it again? Which format worked best?
🧰 Week 1 Tools & Templates
🔍 End of Week 1 Reflection
Planning, Prioritising & Time Management
Stop feeling blindsided by deadlines. This week you'll learn how to estimate time realistically, plan backwards from due dates, and prioritise tasks in a way that actually works for a neurodivergent brain.
Time blindness is one of the most misunderstood ADHD traits. It's not carelessness — it's a neurological difference in how your brain perceives the passage of time. This lesson explains it and gives you practical hacks to work around it.
- What time blindness actually is — why ADHD brains only experience "now" and "not now"
- Making time visible: using visual timers, clocks, and alarms as external time anchors
- The "time audit" — tracking how long things actually take vs how long you think they take
- The "leaving buffer" strategy: calculating backwards from when you need to leave, not forwards from now
For 3 days this week, before you start any task, write down how long you think it will take. Then time yourself doing it and write the actual time.
Tasks to track: Getting ready in the morning · Eating a meal · Packing your bag · Travelling somewhere · A homework task
Most people discover they underestimate by 30–50%. Knowing your personal "time distortion factor" is powerful data.
When everything feels urgent, nothing gets done. The Eisenhower Matrix is a simple 4-box tool that helps you quickly sort tasks by urgency and importance — so you always know what to do first.
- The 4 quadrants: Urgent + Important, Not Urgent + Important, Urgent + Not Important, Neither
- Why neurodivergent brains tend to live in Quadrant 1 (crisis mode) — and how to escape it
- The danger of Quadrant 3 tasks that feel urgent but aren't actually important
- How to use the matrix daily in under 5 minutes to plan your tasks
Write down everything on your mind right now — every task, worry, obligation, or thing you've been putting off. Then sort each one into the 4 quadrants using the Priority Sorter template.
🔴 Do first: Urgent + Important (deadlines, crises)
🟡 Schedule: Not Urgent + Important (long-term goals, relationships)
🔵 Delegate or minimise: Urgent + Not Important (interruptions, some emails)
⚪ Drop: Neither urgent nor important (time wasters)
Most people are shocked by how many tasks land in the bottom half.
Most people plan forward from today. Backward planning — starting from the deadline and working back — is far more effective for ADHD brains because it makes the deadline real and visible from day one.
- How to backward plan any assignment, project, or goal in 5 steps
- Identifying all the "hidden" steps most people forget to plan for (printing, reviewing, submitting)
- Building in buffer time for ADHD brains who consistently underestimate task duration
- Using the Weekly Planner template to map your backward plan visually
Choose an upcoming assignment, project, or obligation. Then work backwards:
📌 Step 1: Write the due date at the end
📌 Step 2: List every single step required to complete it
📌 Step 3: Estimate time for each step (and add 30% buffer)
📌 Step 4: Assign each step to a specific day, working backwards from the due date
📌 Step 5: Schedule the first step for TODAY or tomorrow
Use the Weekly Planner from your toolkit to map this out.
A weekly planning ritual is one habit that makes every other habit easier. This lesson teaches you how to build a simple 15-minute Sunday routine that sets you up for a calmer, more intentional week.
- The "weekly reset" ritual: reviewing last week, capturing everything for next week, and setting 3 priorities
- How to use the ADHD-friendly Weekly Planner (time-blocked, visual, flexible)
- The "MIT" concept — Most Important Tasks — and choosing just 1–3 per day
- What to do when your plan falls apart mid-week (because it will, and that's okay)
Set aside 15 minutes this Sunday (or the next available day) to do your first weekly reset:
✅ Brain dump: Write everything you need to do this week — no sorting yet
✅ Review: Check upcoming deadlines in your diary/calendar
✅ Prioritise: Pick 1–3 Most Important Tasks for the week
✅ Schedule: Block time in your weekly planner for your top priorities
✅ Prepare: Is there anything you need to get ready before Monday?
Aim to make this a non-negotiable weekly habit by the end of Week 4.
🧰 Week 2 Tools & Templates
🔍 End of Week 2 Reflection
Working Memory & Organisation
Stop losing things, forgetting what you were doing, or re-reading the same paragraph five times. This week you'll build external systems that do the remembering for you — so your brain can focus on thinking.
Working memory is your brain's mental whiteboard — the place it temporarily holds information while you use it. For ADHD brains, this whiteboard is smaller and gets erased more easily. This lesson explains why — and what to do about it.
- What working memory is and how it differs from long-term memory
- Why ADHD and autism affect working memory — and why this isn't an intelligence issue
- Common working memory struggles: losing your train of thought, forgetting instructions, re-reading constantly
- The golden rule: if it's important, it must leave your head immediately and go somewhere external
Over one day, notice every time your working memory lets you down. Examples:
• You forget what you went into a room to do
• You lose track of what someone just said
• You forget a task between thinking of it and writing it down
• You re-read the same sentence multiple times
Tally these up. This gives you a baseline — and motivation to build the systems in the next 3 lessons.
The most effective thing you can do for working memory is to stop relying on it entirely. An external brain system captures everything important — so you can stop holding things in your head and actually focus.
- What an external brain system is — and why high-performing people all use one
- The 3 components: a capture tool (for quick notes), a reference system (for information you need later), and a task list (for things to do)
- Choosing your tools: paper vs digital — the pros and cons for ADHD brains
- The "one trusted system" rule: why having 4 different places to write things is worse than having none
This week, choose ONE place where everything important goes immediately. Options:
📱 Digital: Notes app on your phone (always with you), Notion, Google Keep
📓 Paper: A small notebook that lives in your pocket or bag
🎙️ Voice: Voice memos if typing is hard when on the go
The rule: the moment you think of something important, it goes there. No exceptions. No "I'll remember it." Practice this for 5 days and notice how much mental load lifts.
Chunking is one of the most evidence-backed memory strategies — grouping related information together so your brain treats it as one thing instead of many. Combined with effective note-taking, it transforms how much you retain.
- What chunking is and why it dramatically increases how much working memory can hold
- How to apply chunking to study notes, instructions, and long reading tasks
- The Cornell note-taking method — adapted for ADHD (with a "key ideas" column that does the hard work for you)
- Mind maps vs linear notes — which works better for different brain types
Take a page of notes from school or work. Rewrite it using chunking:
1. Group related ideas under a clear heading
2. Reduce each group to 3–5 bullet points maximum
3. Add a "so what?" sentence at the end of each chunk — why does this matter?
Compare your original notes to the chunked version. Which is easier to read back tomorrow? Which would be easier to study from?
Physical clutter creates mental clutter. But for ADHD brains, traditional organising systems often fail — because "out of sight = out of mind." This lesson teaches organisation strategies that work with your brain, not against it.
- Why the "out of sight, out of mind" problem means ADHD brains often need open, visible storage systems
- The "launch pad" concept — a single spot where everything you need tomorrow lives tonight
- The 2-location rule for important items: they live in ONE place, always. No exceptions.
- How to do a 10-minute "reset" at the end of each day to prevent environmental overwhelm
Set up a "launch pad" — a dedicated spot (a shelf, a basket, a hook by the door) where the following things always live:
🎒 Your school bag / work bag
🔑 Your keys
📱 Your phone charger
📓 Your planner or notebook
💳 Your wallet / transport card
Every night before bed, spend 3 minutes making sure your launch pad is ready for tomorrow. This one habit eliminates most morning panic.
🧰 Week 3 Tools & Templates
🔍 End of Week 3 Reflection
Flexible Thinking & Self-Regulation
Handle setbacks without spiralling. This final week teaches you to pivot when plans change, regulate your emotions when things get hard, and build a sustainable routine that bends without breaking.
Cognitive flexibility is the ability to shift gears when things don't go as planned. For many neurodivergent people, unexpected changes trigger a disproportionately big reaction. This lesson explains why — and how to build a more flexible response.
- What cognitive flexibility is and why transitions and unexpected changes are genuinely harder for ADHD and autistic brains
- The "plan B mindset" — building a backup plan before you need one
- How to distinguish between a setback (temporary) and a failure (permanent) — and why this distinction matters enormously
- The "5-year test": will this matter in 5 years? A quick tool to right-size your response to disruptions
Think of a recent situation where an unexpected change threw you off. Then work through these questions:
1. What was the original plan?
2. What actually happened?
3. What did I do or feel in response?
4. In hindsight, what could a "Plan B" have been?
5. What would I do differently next time?
This isn't about blame — it's about building a mental template for handling disruption more smoothly next time.
Emotional dysregulation is one of the most debilitating and least-discussed aspects of ADHD and autism. Big feelings arrive fast, feel overwhelming, and are hard to control. This lesson gives you a toolkit of evidence-based strategies that actually work.
- Why ADHD and autism cause more intense emotional responses — and why this is neurological, not personality
- The "window of tolerance" — understanding when you're regulated, under-aroused, or overwhelmed
- Immediate regulation tools: box breathing, cold water, movement, grounding techniques (5-4-3-2-1)
- Longer-term tools: identifying triggers before they escalate, using a "regulation menu" tailored to your sensory profile
Everyone's nervous system is different — what calms one person activates another. Build your personal regulation menu by trying these and rating each one (1 = doesn't help, 5 = really helps):
🌬️ Box breathing (inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 4, hold 4)
💧 Splashing cold water on your face or wrists
🚶 A 5-minute walk outside
🎵 Listening to a specific calming playlist
🧸 Holding a sensory object (stress ball, fidget toy)
✍️ Writing down what you're feeling without judging it
🤸 5 jumping jacks or stretches
Your Regulation Toolkit from the program resources helps you format this into a card you can keep with you.
One of the hardest executive function skills is knowing when you genuinely need a break versus when you're avoiding discomfort. This lesson helps you tell the difference — and respond wisely to both.
- The difference between genuine overwhelm/fatigue (a signal to stop) and discomfort/boredom (a signal to push gently through)
- How to do a 30-second "body check-in" to accurately read your current state
- Why rest is not the same as avoidance — and how to rest in a way that actually restores you
- The "one more thing" strategy: when you want to stop, do just one more tiny action before you do
Three times a day this week, pause and ask yourself:
🔋 Energy: Am I genuinely tired or just bored?
😤 Emotion: Am I frustrated because this is hard or because I don't want to do it?
🧠 Focus: Have I been working for too long without a break?
💆 Body: Is there physical tension, hunger, or sensory discomfort affecting me?
Based on your answers, make a conscious decision: rest intentionally, push through briefly, or adjust the environment. Record your check-ins in your Habit Tracker.
This final lesson brings everything together. A sustainable routine isn't rigid — it's flexible by design. You'll leave this program with a personalised daily structure that supports your executive functions without requiring perfection to work.
- Why rigid routines fail neurodivergent brains — and how to build in flexibility from the start
- The "anchor habits" concept: 3–5 non-negotiable daily anchors that hold your routine in place even on bad days
- How to design a morning and evening routine that takes less than 20 minutes and actually sticks
- What to do when you fall off track (because you will) — the "never miss twice" rule
Looking back at all 4 weeks of this program, choose 3–5 habits that had the biggest positive impact on you. These become your anchor habits — the ones you commit to keeping no matter what.
Examples from the program:
⚓ Weekly reset every Sunday (15 min)
⚓ Capture everything immediately in my one trusted system
⚓ Evening reset and launch pad prep before bed
⚓ Body check-in 3 times daily
⚓ Backward plan every assignment within 24hrs of getting it
Write yours down. Put them somewhere visible. These are your new default way of working — the strategies that work for YOUR brain.
🧰 Week 4 Tools & Templates
🎉 Program Complete — Final Reflection
Start Your Week — Stop When You're Ready
Each week of the program is available separately. Purchase Week 1, work through it at your own pace, then decide if you'd like to continue. No lock-in, no pressure — just practical brain skills, one week at a time.
- 4 guided video lessons with full on-screen scripts & subtitles
- Interactive Task Breakdown activity (completed online)
- Online Pomodoro Experiment Log
- Interactive Task Paralysis Decoder
- Online Habit Tracker — fill in daily, on-screen
- End-of-week reflection (completed online)
- Download a copy of your completed work anytime
- 4 guided video lessons with full on-screen scripts & subtitles
- Interactive Time Audit activity (completed online)
- Online Eisenhower Matrix Priority Sorter
- Interactive ADHD-Friendly Weekly Planner
- Online Backward Planning activity
- End-of-week reflection (completed online)
- Download a copy of your completed work anytime
- 4 guided video lessons with full on-screen scripts & subtitles
- Interactive External Brain Setup activity
- Online ADHD Cornell Note Template
- Interactive Chunking activity (completed online)
- Online Evening Reset Checklist
- End-of-week reflection (completed online)
- Download a copy of your completed work anytime
- 4 guided video lessons with full on-screen scripts & subtitles
- Interactive Personal Regulation Menu (built online)
- Online Plan B Template activity
- Interactive Anchor Habits Commitment activity
- Online Program Completion Review
- End-of-week reflection (completed online)
- Download a copy of your completed work anytime
All 4 Weeks — Save $9.85
Get instant access to the complete Practical Brain Skills program. All 16 lessons and 20 online interactive activities — self-paced, sequential access — at a discounted bundle price.
How it works
Purchase a week
Buy Week 1 (or the full bundle) and get instant access to all lessons and online interactive activities.
Work through the content
Read each lesson on-screen and complete the interactive online activities. Completed sections lock — your progress is saved.
Decide to continue
At the end of each week, you choose whether to purchase the next week or take a break.
Keep it forever
Once you've completed a lesson it locks — keeping the program fair for everyone. You can download a copy of your completed work at any time.