Math test on Tuesday. Civil War paper due Thursday morning. Therapy appointment Tuesday afternoon. Ask Mom about permission slip. Sophomore class rally on Friday. Practice for concert. Talk to Mrs. Owen about missed assignment.

Taking on the tasks of time management and organization is an important step in the development of every adolescent. It’s tougher, though, for many of our students who may have executive function challenges that make it hard to initiate, follow through, or process the steps of organization. Here’s a fun video from neuropsychologist Laurie Cestnick on what executive function challenges “look like” and how they impact students and adults. Here’s another one: “Executive Functioning: A Day in the Life.”

There are a number of tech and tools now available to help us organize and keep track of what’s happening when and where. One size does not fit all, however. Teens in transition should be working with their support teams to discover what works for them, set organization goals, and develop scheduling and organization routines.

Resources you can explore:

• “Tech Talk: Tools and Resources to Help your Teen with Organization,” video from Understood.org
• “The Eight Best Notetaking Apps to Use in 2019,” post from The Balance Small Business
• “Best Time-Management Apps for Students,” list includes Trello, Pomodoro, Remember the Milk, Coach Me and more!