Hey Reader!✨

👉This one is for the parents in the house.

If you’re down under, the summer holiday is over and kids are back to school. For some, it's a period of relief, while for others, a period of great apprehension as the battle with routines begins!

If organisation, follow-through or time management feels harder than it “should” be — this may help explain why.

Executive Functions are the high-level cognitive skills we use to manage ourselves, plan, focus, remember instructions, juggle multiple tasks, and filter distractions. Think of it as the brain's air traffic control system.

For ADHD brains, this air traffic control system often operates on a different, sometimes slower, schedule. It’s not about wanting to do a task; it's about the brain struggling to initiate, sustain effort, manage time, or switch gears. This is a genuine difference in brain wiring, not a lack of effort or willpower, and understanding this distinction is the first step toward compassion and effective strategy - for both teens and adults.

🧠 Easy Self-Assessments You Can Do at Home

If you or your student are curious about which EF areas might be the biggest hurdle, here are some simple ways to observe and reflect:

Time Awareness (Pacing & Planning)

The "3-Minute Task" Test Ask yourself or your student to estimate how long a simple task will take (e.g., getting dressed, doing the dishes, writing three sentences). Time them. If the estimated time is consistently off by a large margin (significantly too short or too long), time management may be a challenge. Look for: Missed deadlines, rushing at the last minute, or underestimating the steps required for a project.

Task Initiation (Getting Started)

The "Blank Page" Indicator Observe how long it takes to begin an undesirable task (homework, chores, making a hard phone call) once all the materials are ready. Do they get stuck in "perpetual preparation" (sharpening pencils, getting a snack, reorganizing)? Look for: Procrastination, constant distraction when it’s time to start, or intense difficulty bridging the gap between thinking about a task and doing it.

Emotional Control & Working Memory

The "Interruption" Response How quickly do frustration or big feelings bubble up when an obstacle appears? Do they easily recall multi-step verbal instructions without writing them down? Look for: Meltdowns over small errors, easily forgetting what they just went into a room for, or quickly getting overwhelmed when an instruction set has more than two steps.

Recognising these patterns offer powerful clues and a compassionate starting point. The good news is that Executive Functions are skills, and skills can be developed and supported!

If you’re tired of the battles, the guilt, and the feeling that you’re constantly fighting an uphill battle, and you’d like help learning how to support it properly — that’s exactly what I do in coaching with students, adults and families.

✨A Reminder (From Me to You)

You don’t need more strategies.
You need the right ones.

👉 Got any questions, comments, or feedback?

Know anyone who would benefit from reading this? Kindly pass it on!

Otherwise, stay well and keep thriving!

Warmly,

Ojonoka
​Certified ADHD Life Coach (ACC, ACALC)​
​ADHD Delta Coaching

​www.adhddeltacoaching.com.au​

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