September 23, 2026

Believe it or not, the first few weeks of the fall semester are already behind us. With midterms on the horizon, now is an ideal time for college students to check in on the executive function skills and systems that are helping them stay organized, manage their time, and keep up with their workload. This doesn’t necessarily mean creating an entirely new organizational system. Instead, students can look at the routines and habits that have naturally developed during the first few weeks of the semester and honestly assess what’s working, what isn’t, and where a few small adjustments could make a big difference.

This self-reflection process is less about perfection and more about noticing the gaps early enough to make adjustments before a missed assignment or late-night cram sessions become a pattern. Metacognition – one’s thinking about their thinking – is a key aspect of self-reflection, which can lead to enhanced executive function skill building. To get started, here are a few areas of reflection that can help students strengthen their executive functioning skills and make adjustments early in the semester:

1. Are you relying on memory or systems?

Students frequently assume they will remember an assignment because it is mentioned in class. However, this strategy is not fool-proof and often leads to unexpected consequences. For example, professors may post things on their online portal without discussing it, deadlines can shift, and smaller assignments can easily disappear from working memory.

Instead, students usually find the most success when they can establish a reliable external system for monitoring workload. This may look like:

• A daily portal check
• Comparing their portal with their calendar or to-do list
• Looking ahead 7-10 days rather than only checking what is due today or tomorrow
• Identifying assignments that aren’t due immediately but may require multiple steps

Takeaway: If your system depends on remembering, it isn’t really a system.

2. “It’s easy” doesn’t mean “I can wait to do it”

Many students fall into the same trap of underestimating the time required for work they perceive as easy, boring, or low priority. A 30-minute assignment gets pushed off because “it won’t take long” and suddenly, it’s 10pm on a Sunday night and they have to rush to get it done. This isn’t always about laziness or even poor motivation. More often than not this is an EF issue involving time estimation, prioritization, and task initiation.

A few practical strategies to combat this:

• Estimate and then track how long a task takes
• Start small assignments early, even if they may not take long (even better if you do it the day it is assigned)
• Use false deadlines (our EF Coaches love this strategy!)
• Break multi-step assignments into separate calendar blocks
• Ask yourself: “When would I ideally like this finished?” rather than “What’s the latest I can start?”

Takeaway: Easy is not the same as urgent, and that’s exactly why students procrastinate on the easy assignments

3. Use the gaps in your schedule, don’t just survive the schedule

Instead of building a study plan around an imaginary perfect day, look at your actual schedule and ask, “Where are the pockets of time that I already have?”

This may mean:

• Working on assignments in brief gaps between classes
• Going directly to the library or café instead of going back to the residence hall

4. Use the first tests and assignments as data – not a verdict

This is especially timely right now. Professors are starting to grade the first quizzes, papers, and exams. Rather than interpreting your grade as simply “I’m good at this “or  “I’m bad at this”, try to see these early assessments as ways to gather information.

For example:

• Did re-reading my notes prepare me, or would self-testing work better?
• Did I start early enough?
• Did I underestimate how long the assignment would take?
• Did I understand the material but lose points because I didn’t follow directions?
• Did my study strategy match the way I was actually being assessed?

These first assessments aren’t only about measuring what you know, it’s giving you information about how you learn.

As the semester gets underway, this is an ideal time for students to pause, reflect, and make adjustments before small challenges become bigger ones. Executive functioning is not about having a perfect system from day one. It’s about recognizing what’s working, identifying what isn’t, and developing strategies that support greater independence and success. A little reflection now can go a long way toward helping students feel more confident, prepared, and in control as the semester progresses.

Reece D’Angelo, M.S.

Executive Function Coach, Frankenberger Associates