Executive Function Coaches' Top Tips: Planning & Prioritizing

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It's time for another Beyond BookSmart Coaches' Tip blog post, where we share advice from our incredible Executive Function coaches. And, this time, we included a couple of our MAP program users and clients, too! Our topic for this post is Planning & Prioritizing. These two related Executive Function skills are critical for getting things done. They help us figure out what we need to do and when we are most likely going to be able to get it done. Planning and prioritizing don’t operate in isolation. They’re strengthened by other Executive Function skills, like metacognition, self-regulation, and flexible thinking. In turn, they provide the strong foundation for skills such as organization and time management. Read on to find out our coaches' (and clients'!) favorite strategies for supporting Planning and Prioritizing. Want even more on the topic? Check out our Focus Forward Podcast episode, How to Plan & Prioritize for the Things You Want (and Need!) to Do.

“With my adult clients, we institute a Friday wrap-up on their calendar. This is typically toward the end of the workday and is about 15-30 minutes long. We work together on coming up with prioritizing questions related to the Eisenhower matrix or individualized for their situation. Part of this time is used to set priorities for Monday morning to try to address the Sunday Scaries. Most clients find it helpful to time block an hour on Monday to review the rest of their week, deal with any urgent items that popped up, etc. ” —  Denise M.
"My college student clients benefit from spending time breaking down big projects or papers into smaller steps and then mapping those out on a calendar. It helps when planning their week and gives them a space to prioritize things like socializing and exercise.” — Hannah C.
"I frequently start with a conversation about a bird's-eye view and an on-the-ground view. Then lead to the perspective that we effectively plan the day by being mindful of the week and then the week by being mindful of the month, and so forth." — Neal E.
Apps/websites for prioritizing health and self-care:

  • Finch – Encourages daily self-care through small, supportive habits.
  • The Fabulous – Builds healthy routines one habit at a time.
  • Notion – Organizes tasks and thoughts to reduce mental load.
  • Forest – Supports focused, phone-free time.
  • Nike Training Club – Provides accessible, guided workouts for all levels.
— Beyond BookSmart Coaches
"I encourage my clients to do an "end of day review" at the close of the day and then, in the morning, do a quick preview of their upcoming day as they drink their morning coffee or tea. I also suggest taking a few moments at the beginning of the month to do a brain dump of all your goals and then see where you might be able to fit them in. Then, as you progress through the month, see how you're doing and adjust your goals as necessary.  "
— Amy M.
“Covey Quadrants or the Eisenhower Matrix is one of my favorite tools to use with clients who are working on prioritizing. The framework helps break tasks and events out by urgency and importance. It also helps identify activities that suck up time and energy and makes more room for activities that truly benefit us.” — Heather T.
"Covey quadrants has been a game-changer tool for me over the past few months. I use it for my weekly plan and it helps me be intentional about my goals for the week.” — Jonathan H., MAP user and Beyond BookSmart client
"I use my bullet journal to plan out my goals for the year. I revisit my goals at the beginning of each month and see how I'm doing. I then plan the next steps for the month, and then every Sunday, take a look to see what needs to happen each week. I also check it daily to make sure I'm keeping up with my commitments. It's like a funnel system, starting with the year and narrowing down to daily planning and prioritizing." — Jeanette W.
"My Executive Function coach helps me stay on task with the things I tend to avoid. I also meet with someone to help me plan out my very busy weeks. Long-term priorities are harder for me to incorporate, so I use lots of tools - Google Calendar and ClickUp are two of my favorites." — Candrice H., MAP user and Beyond BookSmart client

As you can see, there are a wide variety of ways to approach planning and prioritizing, from using tools like a bullet journal or the Fabulous app to getting external support from a coach or just focusing on better sleep. Whatever works well for you is the best choice. If you're not sure what might work for you, use your cognitive flexibility to try some experiments and see! Hopefully you find some inspiration in this post and use that to move you forward with your plans and priorities.

Want to Learn More About How Our Coaches Support Students and Adults?

At Beyond BookSmart, our coaches work one-on-one with students and adults to build the executive function skills they need to succeed. This includes organization, planning and prioritizing, time management, focus and attention, and self-regulation. Our coaches know that Executive Functioning goes way beyond school or work. We work to help people make decisions, manage demands, and feel more confident, capable, and independent in everyday life.

If you are curious about how coaching might support you or your child, we would love to connect. You can explore more on our website, read other blog posts, listen to our Focus Forward podcast for real stories and practical strategies, or reach out to speak with our team directly. We are here to help.


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