Goals are one of our favorite topics around here. We know how important a well-defined goal can be towards reaching success. You put the time into developing an appropriate goal and your motivation is at an all time high. This is a great feeling and can usually give you the boost to keep moving towards building new habits. As time goes on, it is only natural for your motivation to begin to waver and doubt creeps in. While this is a normal feeling that everyone experiences, it doesn’t mean there aren’t steps to take that will help avoid losing your motivation and pushing towards your goal.

Executive function skills are ones that everyone uses daily, but for those that are neurodivergent, these skills take on a new meaning. People that are neurodivergent often tell us that they are sick of being told, “Oh, just use a planner/take a break/write a to-do list,” etc. While EF skills are things we use every day, it doesn’t mean there is a one-size fits all approach.

Self-care is a term that is growing in popularity. While the definition does vary a bit depending on who you talk to, the main point is that the activities you are partaking in must help promote health and happiness.

We are going to go against the grain here and say that you should write goals rather than resolutions. Despite resolutions being prominent this time of year, it’s important to understand that goals and resolutions are not the same thing.

Have you ever felt like you are going…and going…and going…with no end in sight? Remember how the little pink Energizer Bunny just kept going…and going…and going? Nothing ever seemed to stop that rabbit. (If you aren’t familiar with these commercials, we suggest searching them up online.) As a society, we are starting to act like the good old Energizer Bunny. We’ve all been there, so let’s look at some strategies to tackle the feeling of “going, going, going” before we totally burnout.

Picture it - you’re standing there completely frozen with tasks and obligations swirling around you. How do you determine which balls are glass and which ones are plastic? If you drop a task at work will it shatter or bounce back up? What about if you fail to arrive at pickup on time for your child – will the ball smash or bounce?

One question that we are often asked is, “Why should I care about my executive function skills?” Executive function skills are the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully. They are mainly managed in the front of our brains and are vital for handling day-to-day tasks effectively. These skills are ones that we use every day and will continue to use throughout our entire lifetime. 

As the school year gets into full swing, we often hear from parents, “How can we better support our student on their academic journey?” For many students today, the struggle may not be related to content (to which you’d seek out a tutor), but rather it lies within their executive function skills.

Success isn’t something that someone else can define for you - the same goes for devising personal goals. When working to better yourself, it’s important to do so in a way that supports your vision of success. Maybe success doesn’t come with a large paycheck or perhaps it means having a specific job title - it doesn’t matter what success looks like to you, it only matters that you hold true to it as you work toward reaching your goals.

If you are a parent of a college student, there is a good chance that you’ve already realized the college semester will be here before you know it. Perhaps you consider yourself an expert at sending a child back to college, or maybe this is your first experience with this transition. Either way, there are some common questions that parents of college students often ask, so let’s jump in and talk about executive function skills and how developing them will lead to college success.

Summertime is a wonderful time filled with longer nights, exciting events, and (in an ideal world) time for relaxation. Whether you have children or not, there is a transition that occurs as summer gets closer. There are get-togethers to be attended, meet-ups to be had, and possible vacations to be taken. With all the fun and excitement of summer, you may notice that the routine you’ve been following for months is quickly being thrown out the window.

Is resilience something that we are born with? Despite what many believe, resilience is not a characteristic trait we are born with. Think of resilience as the ability to return to a state of 'neutral' after encountering a setback in your life. 

Imagine, if you could, a day went entirely sideways. Think of it this way, you’ve planned and gathered everything you needed to crush the tasks and are ready to take on the day, but then something (life) comes at you, and now your plan won't work. We’ve all had those moments where we want to throw our hands in the air and walk away because things don’t go as planned because you made a plan, an excellent plan, but now it’s not going to work, and you need to figure out how to move forward.

Days can feel tough. Days when you are working toward a goal can feel extra challenging. When things get difficult, it’s normal to feel discouraged or defeated and when we tell ourselves that we can’t do it, we are more likely to believe it.

Now think about a time that a friend or family member had a bad day and came to you. Chances are you listened to their troubles, provided support, and maybe offered advice. You likely met them with grace and kindness.

“Practice makes… perfect.”

Wrong.

Wrong.

Wrong.

Chances are you’ve heard this line shared with you more times than you can count over your lifetime. While this quote is intended to serve a positive message, I find myself cringing at its concluding word - perfect.

Everyone makes excuses, whether it be regarding why a work project was late or how you may as well begin working out again on Monday. Excuses are part of our daily life. According to a 2020 study conducted by OnePoll, most people make an average of five excuses per day. Take a moment and think about the math on that one - almost 2,000 excuses per year.

“What is so special about January that makes us want to better ourselves and strive to reach our goals?” Nothing really, but as humans, we like to start “fresh” - we enjoy beginning tasks on Mondays because the week is a clean slate. January? It’s like the ultimate Monday to our brains.

Think about the last time you wanted to start something new. Was it easy? What about the last time you had a task to complete that you didn’t want to do; having an uncomfortable conversation, going to the doctor, doing the laundry, going to the gym. How did those tasks go?

While there are many different tools and strategies, let’s explore Covey Quadrants. Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People developed the Covey Time Management Matrix, commonly referred to as the Covey Quadrant.

The Goalden System can help you organize your schedule to avoid feeling overwhelmed.