How Executive Function Coaching Supports Student Success (and Everyone Else, Too)

Who Benefits from Executive Function Coaching?

The answer is simple: we all do.

Students, parents, teachers, and even me — we all benefit from developing strong executive functioning skills. Yet, executive functioning is not explicitly taught in schools, and it should be.

When these skills are missing, students (and adults) can feel like they are drowning, overwhelmed, and lost. When these skills are in place, people feel like they are thriving, competent, and in control. Executive functioning is at the core of success at school, at work, and even at home.

What Is Executive Functioning?

Executive functioning is the set of cognitive skills that help us get things done.

It ties into everything we do.

The three big areas of executive functioning are:

• Organization

• Planning

• Time Management

Let’s break each one down and explore how executive function coaching helps support them.

1. Organization

Organization isn’t just about color-coded folders. It’s about:

• Managing your belongings, space, work, and commitments

• Having what you need when you need it

• Knowing what the task is and being fully ready to engage.

When students are organized, they aren’t scrambling or constantly chasing lost assignments. They can start their work with confidence because everything is in place.

2. Planning

Planning is the advanced layer of organization. It’s about thinking ahead:

• What will I need for this assignment, activity, or event?

• What can I learn from the last time I forgot something?

• How can I structure my time and environment to succeed?

  
  

Planning requires the ability to anticipate challenges, prepare effectively, and set yourself up for success. This is where executive function coaching makes a huge difference.

3. Time Management

Have you ever heard the term “time blindness”? It’s when people significantly overestimate or underestimate how much time they need to complete something.

Time management isn’t just about using a planner. It’s about:

• Being on time

• Getting work done on time

• Accurately estimating how long tasks will take

  
  

Time management is one of the most common struggles students face — and one of the most powerful skills I help them develop.

How Executive Function Coaching Works

Executive function coaching is where all three of these skills come together.

In my work, I:

• Help students understand what these skills look like in their academic lives

• Model and support them as they build new strategies

• Provide consistent feedback and time to practice

• Help them develop lasting habits, not just short-term fixes

  
  

When a student builds a habit, they build a fundamentally new way of doing things.

Why This Matters

We all need this kind of support at some point in our lives.

Sometimes we are overwhelmed. Sometimes we are going through transitions, and sometimes, executive functioning just isn’t something that comes naturally.

One of the greatest gifts you can give a student is to teach them how to manage themselves, their time, and their tasks.

I once worked with a high school student who, years later, became my peer in the professional world. She told me in a business meeting, “To this day, I still use the executive functioning skills you taught me. They are the foundation of how I work.”

That is the power of executive function coaching. That is why I say that academic success lays the foundation for life success.

Ready to Build Executive Functioning Skills?

If you want to help your student develop the skills that lead to lasting success, let’s connect. I offer fully online academic coaching and executive function support to students across Ontario, Canada, and the U.S. and I work one-on-one with each student to build executive functioning skills in ways that fit their learning style and goals.

👉 Book a Free Consultation and start building skills that last a lifetime. To book a free consultation email andrea@andreazians.com.

"The biggest gift you can give a student is to teach them executive functioning."

– Andrea Zians