🧠 How students can get caught up over break?! (Executive Function, ADHD, 2e / Twice Exceptional)

Hey, what’s up?

In this video, I’m going to talk to you about how to get caught up with schoolwork over a fall break.

What’s up to all the parents trying to help their kids catch up over break, teachers, and maybe even students? My name is Seth Perler, an executive function coach. I work a lot in the executive function and ADHD/neurodiversity space.

In this video, I’m focusing on fall break—but this can also apply to winter break, spring break, or any time you have a long break and want to catch up.

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What I’m going to do is give you 10 ideas, so get ready to take notes and hit pause when needed. I’ll share 10 quick tips—just write down the ones that feel most helpful to you.

I’m also going to show you a real calendar and how I might build this out with a student, so you can see a tangible example of what this could look like.

Let’s get started.

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The first thing I want to talk about is executive function planning.

Executive function is how the front part of the brain—the prefrontal cortex—helps you execute tasks and get important things done. One of its key roles is planning.

Planning is a skill (or really a set of skills) that helps us accomplish what matters. It’s incredibly important.

I often say: planning equals freedom.

A lot of students don’t like planning. I didn’t either—I’ve had executive function challenges my whole life. Planning felt tedious and not fun.

But now I understand this: when I fail to plan, I plan to fail. And when I plan, I set myself up to succeed.

So during this break—let’s say it’s a 10-day fall break—if you don’t plan, you’re probably not going to get much done.

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Number two: it doesn’t matter whether your calendar is digital or analog.

Even though I’m using a digital calendar here, you can use paper or digital—it doesn’t matter.

What matters is that your planner is reliable. That’s the only real requirement.

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Number three: make the plan—even if you don’t follow it perfectly.

Students (and parents) often resist planning because they think, “I’m not going to follow this anyway.”

That’s okay.

You don’t have to follow the plan perfectly. You don’t even have to complete everything on it.

What matters is building the skill of planning. That’s the win.

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Number four: anticipate “P.E.P.R.”

At the end of a semester, students usually:

* Start strong
* Hit what I call “the dip”
* Then try to catch up
* And finally enter “Hail Mary time”

During this time, there’s something I call **P.E.P.R.**:

* Papers
* Exams
* Projects
* Readings

These are long-term assignments that pile up at the end of a term.

So when planning your break, anticipate that you’ll have:

* Regular work
* Makeup work (late, missing, incomplete)
* AND P.E.P.R. tasks

Things are not going to get easier in the next few weeks—so plan realistically.

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Next: block off your break visually on a calendar.

Some people have 5–6 days off. Others have 9 days or more.

Either way, visually block those days.

Students love this because it makes time feel more concrete and less overwhelming—especially for those with executive function challenges.

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Next tip: don’t try to do a little bit every day.

This is common advice—but for many students with executive function challenges, it doesn’t work.

Instead, batch your work.

Set aside a few larger sessions instead of spreading small tasks across every day.

Also, be realistic. If you have 20 missing assignments, you may not finish all 20.

Pick the most important 3, 5, 10, or 15. Do your best—and don’t beat yourself up.

Parents: ask yourself—do they really need to finish everything? Mental health comes first.

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Next: put those batches into your calendar.

Make them visual:

* Use colors
* Use emojis
* Use ALL CAPS
* Add times

For example:

* 10:00 AM — Math
* 12:00 PM — Science
* 1:00 PM — History

This might be a 3-hour focused session.

Avoid unrealistic timing—like trying to do work right before a big holiday dinner. It usually doesn’t happen.

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Also, add notes to your calendar.

Include:

* What exactly needs to be done
* Links to assignments
* Page numbers
* Materials needed

I recommend including:

* Who (who are you working with?)
* What (what are you doing?)
* Where (location—home, library, café?)
* When
* How
* Why

The more detailed your plan, the easier it is to follow through.

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Next: consider over-planning.

If you think you need 6 hours total, don’t just schedule two 3-hour blocks.

Schedule more sessions, because life happens—you might get sick, distracted, or something unexpected may come up.

Over-planning helps protect your progress.

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Number nine: use accountability.

Let’s be honest—you probably won’t *feel* like doing makeup work.

So use accountability:

* Study with a friend
* Work with a tutor
* Sit near a parent or sibling
* Co-work with someone

Accountability makes it easier to start and stay focused.

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Finally, number ten—this is the most important:

When you’re not working, **be on break**.

Don’t spend your whole break worrying about what you *should* be doing.

Your nervous system needs time to relax, decompress, and reset.

Use your break to:

* Rest
* Play
* Connect
* Be present

Connection is the most important thing—especially with the people you care about.

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So during this break:

* Work when it’s time to work
* But when it’s time to rest—really rest

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My name is Seth Perler. You can find me at sethperler.com or at executivefunctionsummit.com.

If you like what I’m doing, please share it—it really helps.

And leave a comment:

* What strategies help you during breaks?
* What should people *not* do during a break?

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I want to wish you three things:

Peace.
Peace of mind.
And joy in your heart.

And most of all—connection with the people you care about, especially the kids in your life.

Have a fantastic day.