Welcome to Day 2
Motivation, Procrastination, and Task Initiation Mini-Course
Start with Strengths
Strengths Cards
That understanding matters.
When educators begin EF conversations by recognizing strengths and neurological context, students are far more likely to stay engaged. Resistance decreases. Defensiveness softens. And the conversation becomes collaborative instead of corrective.
The reflection prompts on this page are not meant to generate action plans. They’re there to help you notice:
What already supports starting
Where momentum shows up naturally
What reduces the emotional weight of beginning
These pages exist to support your thinking, not to add another task to your plate.
Many educators use this step to ground early conversations with students or families. It creates shared language and signals that executive function work is about understanding how the brain works, not fixing behavior.
If you only read the Strengths card and the Brain Science section, that’s enough.
Once an executive function conversation has a starting point, the next decision matters more than most people realize. Do we begin with what’s going wrong or with what’s already working?
In my work, executive function conversations always start with strengths.
That’s why the next tool I’m sharing is the Strengths card, along with the matching educator reflection page.
You now have access to:
The Strengths card for procrastination and task initiation
The educator Strengths workbook page that accompanies it
These cards and pages are designed to help educators name capacity before challenge.
You’ll notice that the educator page includes a short Brain Science Spotlight. It explains how task initiation relies on coordination between the prefrontal cortex, emotional systems, and the brain’s reward network. When a task feels unclear or unrewarding, the brain resists starting even when effort and desire are present.
Strengths Workbook
Want to complete your E.F. deck?
Purchase the physical deck
We created the Pre-Frontal Power Up to turn the science of EF into real-world support, including:
✅ A physical 60+ card deck covering 10 Executive Functions
✅ 4 card types per EF (Frontal Scan, definition, EF in the wild, practical tip)
✅ 16 cards focused on helping educators assess their students’ E.F. strengths and challenges
Unlock the Full Deck, Workbook, and Bonus Videos
The Pre-Frontal Power Up Bundle is a complete Executive Function resource suite:
✅ A physical 60+ card deck covering 10 Executive Functions
✅ Digital Power Up Deck for easy screenshares
✅ Digital & Physical Companion Workbook with exercises, implementation ideas, and educator guides
✅ Exclusive training videos
What was your takeaway from today?
Have a question about today’s lesson? How will you use this with students? I’d love to hear: Crista@connectedpathwayscoaching.com
Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for tomorrow when I’ll share more resources to guide you on your journey to Mastering Executive Function!