Why I Don’t Start with Planners (and What Happens When We Wait)
There was a period of time when I was working with three high school students, each at different stages in their journey.
One began coaching the summer before freshman year, another came to me that following January, and the third started during sophomore year. Each student had their own pace, personality, and path. But all three were navigating the sometimes rocky terrain of executive function challenges.
Let’s just zoom in on one piece of the puzzle: planning systems.
Every coach talks about planners. Every parent asks about planners. And while planners are important, I often say: "They’re not the starting point. They’re the goalpost."
Let’s Pause Here
When most people think about executive function, their minds go straight to skills like planning, organization, and time management. And yes—these are important. But they’re actually considered advanced executive functions.
And here's the problem: You can’t jump to advanced EF skills if foundational ones like working memory, emotional regulation, and cognitive flexibility aren’t yet solid.
Planning isn't just about writing things down. It’s about holding information in your mind, adjusting when things change, and managing frustration when plans go off track. Without those foundational pieces, planners become abandoned notebooks—tools that feel more like burdens than supports.
So what do we do instead?
We model. We guide. We expose students to different systems—before they're developmentally ready to use them independently. We don’t wait to introduce the skills. But we do wait to expect mastery.
Back to the Story
During high school, these three students tested out a variety of planning systems:
One loved a whiteboard system.
Another leaned into a Trello board.
And the third gravitated toward a Google Sheet.
We didn’t try each tool for a week and give up. We stuck with them for months, practicing together, gathering information, and building the muscle memory of using them—even if I was the one doing most of the input. That wasn’t failure. That was the groundwork.
Fast forward to the summer before college. I met with each student one-on-one and asked the same question:
"Which planning system would you like to use this year?"
Each one confidently chose the system they had learned about in high school. And this time, they were developmentally ready to take ownership.
And here's what made my heart full:
One continued using the Google Sheet well into sophomore year—and I know this because I was still shared on it.
Another reached out during senior year—not because her parents nudged her, but because she recognized she needed support. And guess what? She was still using Trello.
The third? Occasionally sent me pictures of his whiteboard setups just to share his progress.
These moments are why I do this work.
Final Thought
If you’re an educator or coach, know this:
We cannot fast-forward development, but we can build the runway. We can expose students to the tools and model the use of them until they are ready to fly.
That’s why working with students in high school—especially those with executive function challenges—is so critical. We’re not just teaching them what to do. We’re helping them know how and when to use those tools.
Let’s keep spreading the word that executive function coaching is not about quick fixes—it’s about long-term readiness.
If you missed our workshop, “Life Doesn’t Come with an Assistant—So We Help Students Become One.”; you can still get it at our New! Workshop Vault & Coaching Toolbox
