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How to have the right mindset for school

Please CLICK above to share. Here is a video about having the right mindset for school. I hope you enjoy it, and if you do, please share. In it I explore the purpose of education, the validity of letter grades, standardized testing, self-actualization, authenticity, and my model for looking at students. As a reminder, you will receive an email from me each Sunday telling you about the latest post and any other information (events, updates, etc..) As always, feel free to hit “reply” in order to suggest a topic, ask a question or just say hello. Here’s to a great school year! — Seth

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Video transcript:

Everyone is the status of Florida, I hope you have had an awesome summer. I want to talk a little bit today about the mindset that you want to have as you begin the school years out of your middle school high school or college graduate. You want to have certain mindsets about school that are going to help you be successful in school, but not necessarily in the way that you might think for example. I do not care about leaving letter grade. Although they are a necessary evil for a lot of you so I may not be saying things in a traditional send but I’m going to really try to give you some good mind that text. As you’re approaching this school year you want to have in the back of your mind the purpose of Education? What are you doing there? What are you doing in school and purpose of education is to help you have an ought not a mediocre life not a sad life. Not a hopeless like an awesome life, of course education doesn’t always provide what you need the tools to do that part of that is your responsibility to grab the tools and get what you need out of Education have an awesome. I sometimes you get awesome teachers that are just brilliant and there’s nothing like a brilliant teach that cares about you in order to give you tools and to help you believe in yourself and to inspire you. So the purpose of education is to give you a tool kit for a toolbox or roadmap to bill in the incredible lightness of a remarkable life a life. That is authentic. That’s what you really believe not with what the system or cold shower or Society or people that you know, we’re trying to tell you you should be your do but that helps you authentically become you. So you want to always keep in mind the purpose of education education isn’t meeting that purpose. Hopefully you can do something about it advocate for yourself drop a class, whatever the case maybe try to get out of its case and what it’s supposed to be giving to always keep that in the back of your head or if you’re going to be doing things like busywork homework that really may not be valuable at all. And you really want to listen to you want to address that in the end it healthy man. So you should listen to your mind when you’re questioning things. There’s a reason for so no, we don’t always get the perfect bite for the purpose of it is for you your education is for you said that you should have a great about great again. I don’t even believe in letter grade. I literally think they’re more leeway. I think they’re all horrible way to assess and they don’t give information about what was learned about effort that was put in or about growth that was made the very arbitrary different teachers give grade based on different metrics in different things. So there’s no consistency, but we we don’t talk about this. So don’t worry too much about 3, if you want those students that always wants to get straight A’s and you put a lot of your pressure on yourself to get straight A’s I want to caution you that that pressure may not be serving you after you get into the real world another word after you get out of school and college if you go to college, there are no great in life. Okay, things are assessed and looked at in the in very different ways. Don’t worry too much about right now again grades are a necessary evil. If you have Graves at your school. Then there’s something you have to get certain Greg, but what you really want to get out of Education. Educational experience experiences that help you grow that help your life that helps your social life your emotional life that inspire you you want to get knowledge and learning in education. You don’t want to just shoot for great. That’s ridiculous. And that’s not what it’s about to say that making goals and fat or anything like that. But I want you to think critically about what the grades actually mean. And make her goals very much about your experience. Next thing about mindset is about testing for standardized testing State Testing in Colorado. We have TCAP used to called please that same crap sat act GRE whatever testing you’re doing. Somehow somewhere somebody thought about standardized tests. They all wouldn’t it be a great way to assess people it gives you a very small snapshot of what’s going on and give you details there’s a lot of flaws that the test. I don’t believe in him personally again there a necessary evil what I want your attitude to be your mindset about the test. I don’t stress out about test. I don’t want you to stress out. It’s not for anybody but you I mean the education is for you. Okay. So what I want you to do is go in there and if you have to take a test for you have to take the ACT for college application or things like that. Just knowing your mind that it’s not that important there a high-stakes testing because people put there’s a lot of pressure around it people use these tests to make decisions about some things about you sometimes about a school or a teacher but these are not effective. Play everybody knows of these are not effective ways to make the decisions that were making on them. So I’m in your mind. I want you to relax about it. Do your back get an awesome breakfast that has brain food in it a good night sleep and take the test and do your past but you have to be to relax mind think I’m more nervous are the washer going to do. Do your best and let it go? Okay, these way too much pressure is put on testing. This is about your life and again creating an awesome life. So how important is it? Some people think is really important. I am not convinced your education is for your future so that you can self-actualize if you think about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to that. You can have a guy the best life possible like I thought so this education is for your future. Also, I want to mention is that the education is for your present? If you’re not happy in the present and you have 7 million activities and you’re doing homework all the time, you’re stressed out all the time, or you’re not doing homework all the time. And you said that in your presence life is not how you think your future is going to be happy. I want you to have fun be in the present now and enjoy life now why preparing to be able to have an awesome future pay so both of those are very important. There’s no sense in losing out on enjoying your life in this. Of time. For example, some college students will want to cram tons of hours so that they can graduate faster because they lose their life. In the meantime, they’re studying so much. They’re working so hard lot of times. I have a job to and they’re not living it and they think that at that have it’s going to change after they graduate. Want to graduate sooner really think about how good is your present and what can you do to make your present better build for the future now, I’ll get to this one in a moment. But first I want to talk about this in terms of mindset. What is success? So we’re looking at the purpose of Education that they have a great life and we’re looking to have a great future and have a good present. In the meantime. What is success. Is it good grades getting good scores on tests, very confused about this. We think that these are metrics that will tell you how successful you’re going to be in life. Is that how much money is it? How many friends on Facebook you have? I think you know, the answer always question is not accept is happiness and well-being. If you’re taking care of yourself, if you are happy, if you have a great relationships in a good support network in your life, these type of things are what success is about now. I’m going to tell you about my model your life. Okay, the model that I’ve come up with this little red section here represents to accept it really represents again. Happiness and well-being this area happier and more well-being. You have a that’s what I consider success. Now. How does the student or human being or you have as much that’s another word that fast life possible. How do you have the Best Buy Taco Bell to me? There are four components of social emotional cognitive and physical components your life going to start with the physical because it’s the most concrete part of your life are the questions. You want to ask yourself about your physical body. Are you getting restful sleep? Are you eating nutritious food that nourishes your body? and are you getting adequate Fitness in exercise and movement? Wheat Futures next that’s all that’s the physical body. So in order to have well-being you want your body to be as healthy as you can possibly happen that it’s always challenging The Balancing Act on our culture still has so much food that so unhealthy and it’s hard to even find sometimes really healthy stuff at that. That’s what you want to be looking at this circle and healthier and more well-being as Miss Circle the better all of them are because each of the circles affect each other. I’m going to move on from physical to emotional How well are you able to regulate your emotions? Another word when you get stressed when you get overwhelmed when you get anxious when you get angry when you get frustrated when you get whatever the emotion is. Are you able to regulate it, or is it controlling you? Learning to regulate emotions were not really hot to do that. This is something you can learn and many many ways. Do you need a therapist? Do you need something to help you work with regulating emotion so that you can feel Happy late and feel good, Okay, so if you want your physical body be happy and well want Wellness here one emotional health and emotional wellness, and now we’re going to move on to the next which is social relationship. Do you know how to set boundaries? You know how to say no to people. Do you know how to have healthy arguments with people where you’re actually able to make Headway and come to some common ground and get some resolution. Do you have great friendships? You have a good relationship with your family healthy relationships that are fun and nourishing. So at the social at editas of Community, are you involved in your community whether the school Community or the larger Community or the world Community like you feel like you belong in your family to feel like you belong in your school or in your circles with friends to feel like you belong in the world. If not, that’s something you can do something about you need to do something about it because that’s the one of the areas that’s going to help you be happier and have success in life. If you have an awesome social network on Facebook or Twitter, and if you don’t get rid of it Depressed and learn about who you are. So you make that next cognitive. Physical emotional social and cognitive that your academic that’s your mental that your metacognitive. Do you understand your learning style to know if your left or right brain or auditory visual kinesthetic learner. Do you know what your Myers-Briggs profile is or any of these things? Metacognition has to do with do you know how you learn how you process how your brain works? Okay. If you don’t you need to learn that stuff and you need to have a pro to the school that match your break because a lot of times as soon as I work with have very quirky interesting different brain and school is not match to their bring the school, unfortunately because a lot of things to handle people who are outside the box full tend to be very Inside the Box cookie cutters that we think is going to somehow magically give everybody what they mean. It doesn’t know what have what physical like emotional life you’re socializing your cognitive life better. You are able to nurse each of those that have here in the morning and that mindset Really keeping in mind the purpose of education and are these things being met? That’s what you want to be looking at with education. And if your education in school is not moving those needs then there’s education outside of school. Learning reading book learning from people watching videos, whatever you need having experiences whatever you need to do for your education education isn’t always in school. Okay with that. I’m going to wrap this video off. Hotel is helpful to you and drive your mindset if you like what I’m doing. If you like to sit here in this is helpful. Please share it with somebody you care about and I hope you have an awesome school year, and I will see you soon. Take care.

What is Executive Functioning? How Does it Affect My Child? (In Plain English + Free PDF cheatsheet)

Click here take the Executive Function Quiz

Why is an article about Executive Function so critical?

If your child struggles with school (homework, trouble staying on-task, disorganized, problems with time management, avoidant, resistant, forgetful, overwhelmed, etc.), they probably struggle with Executive Function, and this article is literally the most important article I’ve written for you. You see, Executive Function is the #1 term parents and teachers must understand in order to help struggling students, but don’t. In fact, most parents and educators have never heard the term because schools don’t educate people about it. In this article I seek to demystify EF for parents and educators. I want you to walk away from this article thinking, “Wow, I now have a pretty good grasp of Executive Functions, I have a better understanding of my child, and most importantly, I have a better understanding of how to help.” I also created this printable PDF: Executive Function In-Depth – Your guide to why Executive Function is the most important concept we must understand in order to help struggling students succeed. Outside-the-box learners need outside-the-box solutions rather than cookie-cutter approaches. They think, learn and process differently, and need strategies that are tailored to their unique personalities and idiosyncrasies. They tend to develop asynchronously within the various aspects of Executive Function, and when this is properly taken into consideration, we can empower these students with solutions that work. The big problem for students who struggle with EF is that, by it’s very nature, these problems can literally prevent them from reaching their goals and therefore their potential as adults. However, with the right support, we can help our children manage, compensate for and get accommodations for EF challenges so they can have the tools needed to build a remarkable future.

If you like this, please share it to help more people! Thanks, Seth

What is Executive Function? Defining it in Plain English

In simplest terms, Executive Function means the ability to get stuff done (homework, writing a paper or cleaning a room, etc.).In other words, to “execute” complex tasks through to completion.

The brain must do a lot of things in order to accomplish a task or goal. However, adults sometimes take for granted how long it’s taken them to develop their own executive skills, and they can be baffled at how difficult it is for kids to execute. A good example is homework. It’s not uncommon for the parents I work with to say something like this, “I don’t understand why he doesn’t just do his homework and turn it in. It would make everything so much easier! What is going on?!” Because EF is still developing, the student literally doesn’t have the series of skills needed to execute the task to completion. Therefore, it’s not that they won’t, it’s that they can’t. Of course, as some kids get older and more burnt out with school, there can be more “won’t”.

Things that sound simple to an adult can require more Executive Function than some kids have. Think about the homework example again. Common problems with homework include not knowing or remembering that there is homework, remembering but putting it off, doing part of it and not finishing, doing it and forgetting to turn it in, losing it, forgetting to put a name on it. All of these situations have the same result: the students grades don’t reflect their ability. All of these can be EF issues and as stated above, are often a matter of can’t rather than won’t.

And click here take the Executive Function Quiz

Does Executive Functioning impact my child or my students?

Students of all ages, elementary school through graduate school, have to learn many skills in order to navigate school. If they struggle with executive function, they might struggle with the following:

Homework – Not remembering what is for homework, not understanding homework requirements and details, forgetting to do homework, procrastinating, forgetting to turn it in, incomplete homework, missing or lost homework, not putting name on homework.
Planners – don’t use them effectively unless they are forced to, don’t understand long or short term planning strategies, don’t like planning.
Grades – Grades are surprising low and do not reflect potential or ability, missing and late assignments affect grades, ineffective studying results in low test scores, forgetting to study affects grades.
Organization – school materials, papers, folders, desk, locker, backpack, bedroom.
Time management – often late, unrealistic perception of how long something takes to accomplish, procrastination.
Details – not noticing important details about assignments, not hearing teacher expectations on school work, not reading directions carefully, not checking math work and getting wrong answers even when they know how to do the work.
Preparation – not being prepared for class, don’t have materials they need, forget pencils, homework, planner, books, not prepared to leave the house for school, sports, family activities.
Advocacy – don’t ask for help, don’t know what to ask for help with, don’t understand that a teacher is a resource, don’t raise their hand for clarification, don’t email teacher when they have questions, don’t go to office hours.
Overwhelm – they don’t even know where to start because they are so overwhelmed with details, stressed, avoidant, procrastinate because they are overwhelmed, homework fights, resists help from parents.
Focus – can’t pay attention to one thing at a time, incomplete work because they don’t follow through, distracted easily, trouble concentrating, can’t focus on reading a passage effectively.
Writing papers – trouble organizing writing, ideas go in countless directions, inability to edit effectively, trouble clarifying ideas, takes longer than it should, they may be able to verbally communicate ideas but can’t write them clearly.

Why most parents and teachers aren’t aware of Executive Function

Unfortunately, most of the literature on Executive Function is not in layman’s terms, thus making it challenging for parents and educators to learn about. For example, if you search the internet for Executive Function, here are some of the confusing definitions you’ll find:

“Executive functions (also known as cognitive control and supervisory attentional system) is an umbrella term for the management (regulation, control) of cognitive processes.”
“Executive function is a set of mental processes that helps connect past experience with present action.”
“Executive function refers to a set of mental skills that are coordinated in the brain’s frontal lobe. Executive functions work together to help a person achieve goals.”

So let’s keep it simple with one of the definitions I listed earlier: Executive Function means being able to get stuff done. In order to get stuff done, you need to be able to do things like plan effectively, organize, focus, self-start, stay on task, avoid distractions, make good decisions, have a realistic perception of time, persist when you don’t feel like it, and do several other things in order to execute. These are some Executive Functions in plain English. You must be able to “regulate” your thoughts, emotions, and actions in order to accomplish these goals and in order to get your needs and wants met in the long term. When speak about EF with language that relates directly to the problems these kids are experiencing, we can do a much better job of helping them.

EF in the brain

The prefrontal cortex is where EF takes place. This is a whopping ⅓ of your brain and is located behind your forehead. The brain develops from the back to the front, so for kids who struggle with EF, the prefrontal cortex is still developing. The good news here is that it continues to develop well into our 20s, and EF skills can get better with time, practice and proper guidance. Unfortunately, most schools don’t teach EF skills effectively, so the ones who struggle are often misunderstood and shamed.

The Pre-frontal Cortex, the center for Executive Function

The Aspects of EF

How do we help someone do what they need to do, in their own best interest, when they seem like they can’t or won’t do it? We don’t give up. Babysteps work. The brain DOES change. EF continues to develop well into your 20s. The following are my interpretation of the aspects of EF, aka the things your brain must do in order for you to “execute” complex tasks. (Note: Various experts break down EF differently. I choose my words in order to make the concepts more relatable to relevant problems your child may be having.)

Plan – The ability to have a realistic perception of the steps necessary to accomplish a goal or task.
Time management - The ability to manage time or to have a realistic perception of how long things take. Important in planning and scheduling too.
Organize – The ability to create systems of doing things or keeping track of things, that are organized enough so goals can be met effectively.
Prioritize - The ability to know and do what is most important at any given time.
Inhibit – This refers to one’s ability to hold back, to pause, to think before you act, to not be too impulsive, to have self-restraint. Inhibit thoughts, emotions, behaviors that are inappropriate or that go against long term goals and wellbeing. When we do not inhibit well we are thought to be impulsive or hyperactive.
Focus – The ability to manage and sustain attention, focus, concentrate, be “on task”, stick to it. Resisting temptation to shift when trying to focus, avoid distractions, redirect thoughts.
Task initiation - Self starting or activation. Getting the ball rolling, getting the train moving.
Task persistence – Continuing to try until finished, working to completion.
Transition – The ability to shift from activity to activity effectively.
Working memory – Verbal and visual strategies that help us keep things in mind as we work through things. It’s like juggling balls, being able to track the important details during a process. Includes self-talk and visual imagery.
Details – Remembering and managing important details.
Reflection - Reflection is all about self-awareness, consciousness, mindfulness, introspection. It refers to one’s ability to take a step back and reflect in order to problem solve. A lot of people with EF problems have trouble learning from their mistakes. They don’t connect the dots well and continue to repeat self-defeating behaviors. Reflection also involves to self-checking details schoolwork (think checking work in math for example or checking to see if your name is on the paper).
Emotional regulation – Having tools to truly regulate and work through challenging emotions.

Executive Function Lies

Unfortunately, kids with Executive Function problems often internalize these negative messages:

I’m dumb, stupid.
I’m not smart enough.
I’m lazy.
I don’t care about school.
I’m a failure.
I can’t do anything right, so why try?

Teachers and parents don’t intend for kids to get these messages, but nevertheless, many do. How can we help? The first step is to be very aware of the words we use and how they affect kids. We need to understand that these kids are struggling with legitimate Executive Function challenges. Therefore, beware of saying things like this:

You aren’t trying your best.
You have so much potential.
I know you’re smart, you just need to care more about school.
Motivate yourself.
You need to be more disciplined.
Just focus.
You’re making bad choices.

How do we change these harmful messages? This is a big topic, but generally speaking, we need to reframe the entire dialogue to take EF into consideration and build upon strengths. Of course this is very challenging when our kids are experiencing compulsory schooling which is dire need of massive reform and rethinking. Our schools tend to do very little to value their unique interests, curiosities, learning differences, strengths and idiosyncrasies. Instead, our systems have been designed to reward compliance rather than true critical thinking, personal growth and personal choice. We teach what to think rather than how to think. But I digress… here’s a video I made that will help with communication. Finally, one practical tip I use with parents is to research “attachment theory” and “somatic therapies”. Understanding these will help you to understand how to create safe and healthy emotional attachments with your children as well as how our minds and bodies influence behaviors. Here are two books to get you started: Attached and The Body Keeps The Score.

A word about diagnosis

I work with a lot of families, and there is a lot of misunderstanding about having a diagnosis of some sort. There are several possibilities here:

Some students who struggle with Executive Function are not tested for anything
Misdiagnosis, or some are tested but with bias (example: a gifted child without adhd is tested for adhd by a family doctor who does not have much training about learning issues. The symptoms look like adhd, so the diagnosis is made, meds are prescribed, and it doesn’t work or causes harmful consequences, like anxiety problems.)
Underdiagnosis – some kids are never diagnosed, but there is something going on that needs to be diagnosed. If the correct diagnosis were made, it’d be a positive game-changer for this child.
Overdiagnosis – Child is diagnosed with more than is actually there.

While a diagnosis may be helpful, it’s not always necessary. What is necessary is that a student get the support they need – executive function strategies (coaching, tutors, books, my videos and blog), emotional support (therapists for kids who are dysregulated or when family dysfunction runs deep), physical support (restful sleep, healthy diet, substantial exercise and movement are critical)

Ways to help kids who struggle with Executive Functions

There are countless ways to support your child, and this is a list I made to give you a good starting point. Read through it and apply what you like. It should give you a few nuggets.

Foundations – Here’s the foundation of strong EF: Restful sleep, food that nourishes the body, adequate exercise.
Routines – Effective routines, predictability, groundedness (routines for updating planners, overhauling backpacks, homework, studying, transitions, waking up, bedtime, fitness, etc.)
Metacognition – Metacognitive understanding of emotional needs and implementation emotional regulation practices.
Systems – Personalized systems to effectively manage backpack, folders, planners, sacred study space, homework, etc.
Ownership – Ownership and buy-in are critical if your child is to be engaged. Too often we just tell kids what to do and don’t give them any say in the process.
Listen – Compassionate support.
Hacks – Visual and auditory tips, tricks and tools.
Organizing papers – If binders don’t work for you, replace with simple color coded folder system.
Visuals – Flag books with stickies. Flag and label important papers so they stand out visually in backpack.
Labels – Outta sight, outta mind. Therefore, label everything BIG AND BRIGHT.
Alternative note-taking – Draw your notes. Great for visual kids. Use an audio recorder to study creatively.
Archive – Make an archive (see blog). Do not keep every paper in your folders and backpack. Only keep currently relevant items, archive the rest (the truth is that you probably will never need it anyhow).
Study groups – Study partners work wonders.
Chunk – Chunking assignments down into bitesize pieces. Chunk by time or by task.
Plan – Make a plan even when you don’t want to. These kids do not know how to plan, and it’s one of the most important skills.
Advocacy – Self advocacy and advocacy from supportive people (Know your rights. Start with IDEA.)
Microsuccesses – Look for all small successes and build upon them. Make goals reachable. It all counts.
Timers – Use timers and alarms to calibrate time management skills.
Mindfulness – The BEST tool ever: Mindfulness. Meditation works wonders. Period.

What makes Executive Functioning worse?

Processed foods.
Sleep problems, electronics interfering with sleep.
Lack of exercise.
Stress, overwhelm, dysregulation, adrenal fatigue.
Sensory issues, sensory overwhelm.
Useless busywork, meaningless assignments and misinformed adults.
Unclear expectations.
Shame.
Fear Resistance, avoidance, procrastination, unwillingness.
Inability to articulate systems. Lacking ownership and buyin with system development.

Systems Self-assessment Checklist – what systems do kids need?

I use this regularly with my students (see my free course for a complete breakdown of how to use this successfully). This serves as a guide to explore important areas to problem solve within. Feel free to cut this out and keep it handy:

Foundations – Sleep? Nutrition? Fitness?
Backpack – Overhaul completely once a week, folders, papers, etc.
Planner - How well is it working and being used? Update long term and short term. Need planner routine or it won’t work.
Routines - Is study routine/workflow optimal? Manageable? How to make it more focused and less distracted?
Grades - Check online grades at least once a week? Make a to do list of missings and incompletes.
Advocacy - Who do you need to communicate with? Be proactive not reactive when possible.
SSS - How effective is your Sacred Study Space? How well can you focus there?
Relationships - Family, friends, how’s it going? What do you need? How’s your relationship with yourself?
Stress - What are your biggest stresses lately? What is overwhelming or frustrating? Minimize? Reframe? Breathe. What are solutions?
Beliefs - Limiting? Scarcity? Abundance? Growth or fixed mindset? Self-talk, defaults, reframe.
Technology - Is computer optimized for school? Page blocker? Distraction free? Tabs/bookmarks for all relevant school links? Online calendar set up?

Executive Function Resources

Dr. Russell A. Barkley video, 12 min: The Five Executive Functions. I’m a huge fan of Dr. Barkley, and although his work might be highly academic, I strongly recommend diving into it.
Here’s a good little Executive Function Fact Sheet from the LDonline site (Learning Disabilities Online)
Understanding Executive Functioning Issues – Heres a good article by Amanda Morin of understood.org
Executive Functions: Here’s an in-depth manuscript by Adele Diamond on the US National Library of Medicine site. It includes a discussion of how EF can improve with practice.

Conclusion

The point of this article isn’t to teach you everything about the Executive Functions. My real hope is that you walk away from it thinking:

Wow, I now have a good grasp of Executive Function.
I have a much better understanding of my child.
Most importantly, I have a much better understanding of how to help my child.

I hope this helps you. Good luck, Seth

And click here take the Executive Function Quiz

Love my work and want to give? Click here! To support me, please CLICK at the bottom to share. Click here to visit my official YouTube Channel & subscribe if you want! Thank you -Seth

Video transcript:

Parents and teachers, this is Seth with SethPerler.com and I’m here in this video to give you the quick 3-minute version of “what is executive function?” I’m going to tell you the key things that you need to know here about executive function. So first of all, the thing that you need to know is if you have a student or a child who is struggling in school, they probably struggle with executive function. So basically, the student who has a lot of late work, missings, incompletes, and things like that and they’re struggling to navigate school and to stay on top of things. The wheels are coming off and then you say things like that, they’re probably struggling with executive function. So what’s happening is, is the brain is still developing. The brain develops from the back to forward, and the prefrontal cortex of the brain is the last part of the brain to develop. The front part of the brain is the part that helps us to execute tasks. For some people that part of the brain is developed a really well, they’re left brain, they’re linear, they’re structured, they’re very good at executing time. And the tasks that we’re concerned about here with your kids is usually getting homework done, studying, doing their chores, doing the responsibilities and things like that. So what is happening is that in order to execute on these tasks, the executive function, the word ‘execute,’ in order to execute on these important tasks that they need to get done, they need to do things like plan, organize, manage time, prioritize, self-start, follow-through things like that. So there are many things that describe executive function, but those are some of the aspects of executive function, and if they struggle with those things they’re struggling with executive function. So in order to learn how to work with executive function, have better executive function, one, we need to develop better executive function skills, develop better systems. But two, we also have to be able to deal with the number one problem with executive function, which is resistance. “I don’t want to, I don’t feel like it, I’ll do it later. I’ll do it tomorrow. This is stupid. Why do I have to do this?” Excuses after excuses, anything the nervous system is resisting, we feel threatened, we don’t feel like doing it, it’s not fun, it’s not engaging, and we don’t want to do it for whatever reason. That’s a problem because when we are planting seeds to have a great future, we want our kids to have awesome futures. We don’t want them to have mediocre futures, we certainly don’t want to have a bad future. But in order for them to have a good future, they must learn to overcome their own resistance, to be able to execute on tasks, to get things done so that they can accomplish their own goals so that they can have more choices and freedom in possibilities in life. So that resistance has to be dealt with in a positive way. Now the number one problem for these students is the resistance, is not feeling like doing something and how do we learn to get over it and how do we build the skills to execute on top of that? But another problem that happens is that these kids are often shamed. They are often told, “you’re lazy, you’re unmotivated, you’re not trying hard enough, you just don’t care about school.” Teachers and parents and adults imply that this is a matter of willfulness and this is the most important thing to get through in this quick video here, is that this is not a matter of them just being willful, that is a shallow, ignorance, uneducated message that we often convey. Now, I don’t want to shame you adults if you convey that because many of us have, that’s how we grew up, but that does not take into account what is going on developmentally in the brain. Okay. This is brain development. This is not shame. This is not, “I’m going to punish this kid so that they do what they need to do.” Okay, so we need to really understand that if we want to empower kids to plant seeds, to have a great life now, and help them plant seeds so that they have a great future. We have to compassionately educate them and we have to really understand what’s going on with the executive function. I hope this video has helped you. Again, my name is Seth Perler. I send out a free blog every single week to help families who are struggling with this figure out how to help their children navigate this thing called education. Please sign up as described on my blog and you can subscribe to the YouTube channel as well and tell me what you think in the YouTube comments below. Does this resonate with you? What are your thoughts about this video? Please share this with somebody today, and I hope you have a fantastic day and I hope this helps you. See you soon.

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Down to the wire – How to pull it together at the end of the school year

Please CLICK above to share. As far as the school year is concerned, it’s down to the wire, the pressure is on, the stakes are high. Just a couple more weeks and school is out. If students don’t pull it together right now, they will end up retaking classes, going to summer school, missing graduation requirements, etc.. I know because I see the exact same patterns every year. Struggling students are swimming upstream, overwhelmed, don’t know where to start, don’t know how to study effectively, and they see the finish line closing in. How can we help them? In this video I will teach you about how I help students pull it together when it’s down to the wire.

Here are the main tips I mention:

Schedule study sessions with strong students.
Check your online grades daily during this time of the semester to avoid any surprises.
Send proactive emails to teachers to ask how you’re doing and if there’s anything you need to do.
Advocate by going to office hours.
Study for finals multiple times, not just the night before.
Chunk projects similarly. Do them in stages, not the night before. Same with writing papers.
Ask for help. Ask parents, teachers, tutors, friends to help you. If you are forgetful, ask these people to bug you and make sure you get things in.
Eliminate distractions. Use web page blockers, turn off your phone when you study, close the door, etc..
Set small goals and just keep “chipping away.”
Clean up your Sacred Study Space. Make it conducive to focusing.
Set boundaries with people who you get distracted by.
Breathe!

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Video transcript:

Hey, everybody would stop it stop the stuff perler.com and I’m glad your ear and it is down to the wire again. Okay, it is the end of the school year. If you are a middle school or high school or college student and you’re a bit stressed out and you’re someone who whose school is not necessarily your Forte this video is for you. So what I’m going to do is I’m going to tell you about some of the things that might students go through at the end of the school year and give you a couple of ideas on what you can do to make this end of the school year go live it more smoothly. So I generally work with middle school high school and college student and all of my students struggle with school and one way or another and what tends to happen with a lot of students is that at the end of the school year right now, we just got a couple week. things can fall apart fast now explain why teachers often are doing their grades at the end of the year and anything that’s turned in late. They have two great and they have to go through everything that turn in late from all their students and some of these teachers have over a hundred students. So they’re like really backlogged with with catching up with their work mean while trying to finish out their year plan their lessons give their final assignments and often at the end of the year. There are a couple of big things papers. Test midterm test exam and project papers test in project. So your papers that are do it. If you wait till the last minute that put you in a very tight position because then if you don’t finish or if you forget to turn it in that can turn a grade of an A B C or D into an F very easily final exam. If you don’t study for them and you think you can just study the night before the morning up or you think you got it and you failed that exam that can make you fail the class and then project off of projects are due right up at the end of the year, and if you don’t get the project done or forget to turn it in. Well, there you go. There’s another opportunity for a nap in to bring the grade down. So if you’re kind of a borderline student and you have a CD or an F anyway, and you’re really depending on this last bit of time to be able to get your grade up, you have to be extra extra careful and you have to work extra hard to get this stuff done. So I just see it a lot and it’s really hard to watch a lot of my students in a lot of students in this place right now where it’s the end of the year. They my students often tend to be very unrealistic. They have the option of how much effort or how much time something take so it’s crunch-time right and things get really tight and And it becomes more and more and more overwhelming and things get a boy didn’t more and more and then you can get into bad position. Now the consequences of this are often the following one it if you fail a class is taking summer school to is that you fail a class having to retake it another year. You don’t want to have to put the another semester is worth of energy into this class. So you can just really focused on what you have to do in the next week or so. Please do that. Turn your video games off for the next week turn the cell phone off like really get your study area ready. So anyhow, it’s big as get back to things that you can do. Those are some things you can do one turn cell phone off when you’re setting To use an internet blocker and block websites that that you get to stack a bike 3 tell people to not distract you. Tell your friend. Hey, I got to focus. I got to set a boundary not your brain. Your adolescent brain is not wired for prioritizing. Okay. Just accept that you like. Okay. I’m not great at prioritizing but right now is the time to do it. I’m going to tell my friends to not bother me right now. I have to focus make study group with friends that are strong student have times with them some studying to do homework is that your stuff and make sure that where you study is actually conducive to study. It should not have distractions. You may need to really do a good modification find a good place in the house where you can actually study make it happen. It’ll take you some time, but you got to do that. So This is the time and do whatever you need to do. Like if the teacher gives you a study guide use that I do not wait till the last minute you want to study multiple times that you wanted to study for 3 hours for an exam. It’s much better that you split that into 630 minutes segment over 6 days and 3 hours a night before because 3 hours a night before will not get it into long-term memory. But if you break it off, you’ll get much more into long-term memory. So like I said, it is down to the wire and I want to tell you where this word down to the wire comes from so in horse racing long time ago before they were able to have the technology to be able to see everything clearly. They would have judges who would watch the horse race and then be able to see which horse went across the Finish Line first very hard to see because when people stood in different places it appeared that different horses. Different time depending on where you were positioned. So there’s the finish line, but it was very hard to see cuz they’re running so fast. So what they did is they had to finish line and then they had a wire that went way above the heads of the horses in the race and then the judges could stand by the wire and look down the wire to see which horse crossed first. So when it’s down to the wire that that means that’s a metaphor for things are kidding really tight. It’s really close. It’s a high high pressure situation and the the consequences are very high. So I just want to encourage you I know that you’re stressed. Okay, take a breath make some lip get it out of your head and onto paper what you need to do to take time to get organized ask for help ask parents and tutors at teachers. You can write letters to teachers proactively right now saying hey the end of the year do I have anything that I’m missing that’s going to really affect my grade that lie you’re being proactive teachers really really respond to that and it go into office hours do anything you need to do to advocate for yourself so that you don’t have to be in the situation of getting your grades in a couple weeks something. Oh my gosh. How did I fail that class what happened there? And then next thing, you know, you’re in summer school or retaking the class or whatever you put all this effort into this semester and you have to redo your effort. So you got this take it a day at a time little chunk at a time one little thing at a time get Focus as focused as you can eliminate. And just put forward you got this. I know you do if I could figure this stuff out when I finally ended up figuring out anybody can so please use this advice that will help. You. Have a good end of the year and then have an awesome summer. I hope you have a great summary can really relax. Take care.

Why every student needs a “Blocker app”

Here's the cool icon for SelfControl — Here’s the cool icon for SelfControl

We live in a time when there are more distractions than ever before. So much is vying for out attention and this makes it really challenging for kids to focus on schoolwork (or anything else for that matter). We need tools that work. Computers present a unique challenge because much of the schoolwork students do is done on them. While using this technology for schoolwork is great, there is a strong temptation to think you can multitask with other tabs or apps in the background. Unfortunately, this ends up being a huge detriment to learning, though students rarely acknowledge this. I’m constantly working with students to combat this urge. It’s a huge challenge on many levels. First of all, most kids tend to have a very unrealistic perception of how focused they need to be and think that they can multitask “just fine.” They have all sorts of excuses and rationalizations to explain why it’s ok. In the end, the quality of learning is compromised, which has far reaching effects.

Here are some common interruptions I see:

Minecraft
Facebook
Reddit
Tumblr
Magic the gathering
Youtube
Music creation apps
Music that is disruptive
etc.

Now, I want to mention that not all of this is bad. For example, for some people, white noise or certain types of music (baroque for example) can help the brain when the task is mundane. But when it comes to more complex tasks, like writing papers, the research shows that most music interferes. And again, to further complicate matters, many students are simply not realistic about where the line is for them.

Internet Blocker Apps

Internet blocker apps are one of the best solutions to the problem of disruptive tabs. Here are the two that I use regularly with students: StayFocused SelfControl These are both free apps that allow the user to block their own access to all the sites or mail servers that are distracting. The user chooses how long to block for, adds sites to the list and starts the app! Even if you restart the computer or delete the app, it still blocks for the amount of time you set it for.

Tips on how to use blockers

1. There must be buy-in. In other words, the students must believe that it would be helpful. When adults try too hard to force kids to use these, they feel suffocated and resist, and this is obviously counterproductive. Therefore, ask yourself how you can get buy-in, how you can help the student see that it is to their benefit. 2. Ownership is key. This is closely related to buy in. Students must feel ownership of using the app. They need to feel like it is their idea, like they are in control of it. They need to feel empowered rather than pushed. 3. Be realistic about how long you want to focus for. 20-30 minute study sprints with very short movement breaks is a great way to start.

Check out the apps here

StayFocused App

SelfControl App

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Advice from a professional 7th grader

Please CLICK above to share. One of my favorite questions to ask students of any age is, “what advice would you give yo your younger self?” It’s the type of open-ended question that empowers people to get really introspective really fast. It helps people come up with their own answers, to gain clarity, to take ownership of their own growth. In this video I am speaking with Diego, a 7th grader I work with. Brilliant kid, uber-creative, outside-the-box thinker, and funny. He has a lot to share with the world! Needless to say, school is a struggle for him, and it’s really interesting to hear the advice he would give his younger self about it. Finally, what advice would you give to YOUR younger self about life or school? Share your thoughts below.

Love my work and want to give? Click here! To support me, please CLICK at the bottom to share. Click here to visit my official YouTube Channel & subscribe if you want! Thank you — Seth

Video transcript:

Hey, what’s up? Everybody? This is my good friend Diego. Cam Middle School here in Boulder. And I wanted to ask him for today’s block cuz I wanted to ask him about what advice he would give to himself a year ago. So before we dive into that, I want to find out a little bit about the ego as we know you are a 7th grader would have been some of your favorite subjects over the years and pretty. Okay, I’m not really sure what else anything else not really good with history and stuff writing. Sort of in Reading. Oh, yeah. Alright and what have been some of your biggest struggles throughout school to be study habits? So last year, I would either like scare myself into a scenario of what would happen. If I fail this quiz on which normally didn’t end up very well. Like it’s yeah, it just really didn’t work out very well. So how would you scare yourself? I would pretty much stay up pretty late until I’m on the edge of losing sanity and I would pretty much think of all possible scenarios for what would happen. If I ever fit if I failed this test and what would happen. It was very effective and scaring me but not very good and like study wise cuz although I would study and get an okay-ish grade. It still wasn’t really working for me. So what were you what advice would you give yourself? At at like if you could travel back in time last year. What advice would you give yourself about study habits? Probably don’t stress too much and don’t study on the like the night. That’s like right before the test cuz that will ruin you. It’s not good for you to stress that much for you know anyone but I find it’s really hard for me when I’m working with students to get students to want to make the ship to studying before a test that they there’s a test on Friday. So getting them in the habit of learning how to start studying on Monday a little bit each day or a little bit every other day rather than the night before or not studying at all. How did you convince yourself to change that happened? Because that habits are hard to change. I probably eventually got to the point where it feels like the night of a quiz and I was going to do what I normally do to scare myself and I decided like it wasn’t a good idea for me. So I thought of any other ways for me to do it and so I decided that next Quiz I was going to come over and actually study before the night before the quiz so study and More in advance that work for you. I’m at work a lot better the grade my grades went up and we’re having your stress level. It definitely went down. I’m a lot less stress than I was last year or so and that’s important. And one more. We’re going to do two more pieces of advice. You would give yourself last year. What advice would you give yourself last year in terms of mindset or attitude about school or teachers? Anyting well last year kind of a negative mindset towards school. Like I’m going to fail on not going to do very well. And that didn’t like for some reason. I had the weird feeling that it was going to work for me and it did not so it was really hard to change my mindset to more like a positive level cuz mine’s that are really hard to change just like habits. So what what advice would you give yourself in terms of what your mindset should be or where you at today? Think more positively and look for the bright side. I like what’s more positive about you know, studying or class. You don’t like her homework. You don’t want to do what’s more positive mind. Well when I get home, I can take a break probably so probably set up media like in like a reward for me for like thinking positive. I’m not really sure what your attitude probably more positive than last year. Are you less resistant? Like if you don’t want to do homework or studying or you’re more able to just be like idgo just do it anyway. It’s probably. I’ve been a little bit less stubborn I think but I think you just like started doing often you start doing what you need to do. And you just start so that’s a change. Haha. You know how that changed or was it slow or Asian slow? Cuz I have this I have this thing coming up where if I don’t finish it, then I’ll repeat the grade and I do not want to do that. So I pretty much just decided like I’m tired of like skipping all these assignments and getting these crappy grades that I am getting. So I decided I think it’s time for me to probably on starting charge of the situation. That’s a great answer. I think there’s a lot of different ways people approach this in this type of way. It Sammy will be described as like a choice of maturity choices. Like I’m done with this. I’m going to step it up and that’s really hard to get people to you sort of have to get there on your own. Like I can’t make you do that your parents definitely get me to do that. If anything that can make it worse, but it’s really you kind of have to come to that out. Somehow. I’m your own gold with one other piece of advice you would give yourself in terms of how you communicate with teachers and how you add Advocate for yourself and tell communicate the teachers what you need how have you one piece of advice? Would you give yourself last year in terms of advocacy? Try listening to the teachers? Definitely and I if I have like any problems actually talked to the teachers instead of waiting till I collapse second to get a know that I know I’m going to get. And what do you find when you talk to teachers than you guys are proactive in you go say, hey help me out kind of surprised cuz I normally don’t regret advocating for myself. So I get there more positive about it in about helping me, which is a good thing. I hope so you feel like they even give you Tips or ideas that and how to succeed in their class that you wouldn’t have known about when you actually talked to the teacher then they’ll give you tips. If you asked for it like I had a missing assignment or a couple of sentiments that I was late on and I needed an extension. So normally what I would do is like not ask for the extension end up getting zero on the assignment but instead I actually asked for an extension and dumb I got them both in on time. I got booked. So awesome and what one other piece of advice would you give to a student who struggles with ADD who is struggling in school? And let’s say that there in Middle School let there in 6th grade or something. What piece of advice would you give to a middle schooler who struggling with ADD? Oh, I don’t know. Like it’s really just hard for me to come like kind of control myself. So I’m not really sure what advice I’d give that’s kind of a place really answered. So you have to think about it. Do you find that getting help from people helps? But I think that might be something that I see that you learn to do that people don’t want to do like we don’t want to ask anyone for help. Yeah. It’s it’s kind of a weird feeling when Are you like you don’t want anyone to really help you? And then you like you kind of have to admit the truth is that you actually do need help in that that’s kind of hard, but it changes actually not as bad. I hope you’re having an awesome day and we will see you soon. Any final words be well.

There’s failure and then there’s failure. And then… there’s failure.

Yes, three types of failure.

1. The “F”

Let’s start with the most trite type of failure, but perhaps the most corrosive since it gives birth to a perceptual limit in children that simply does not need to exist. The F. It’s a grade, supposedly an assessment of school performance. Letter grades were invented in the 1890s (yes, they’re in dire need of modernization). True story: Originally, there was A, B, C, D & E. Teachers were afraid students would think the E meant “excellent” so they changed it to F for “failure” so there could be no confusion. By the 1930s the F was everywhere. Supposedly, grades are a reflection on effort and learning in a given assignment, task or test. Often though, this failure is in fact not a failure of the student, but rather a failure of the assessor/system to properly teach according to legitimate needs. It is also a failure of the assessor to clarify exactly what is being assessed. Is it effort? Growth? Learning? Mastery? Who decides? How is it decided? Usually grades end up being a measurement of compliance to a vague and arbitrary expectation, and this is where the F’s crippling effects creep in. Students are placed in a situation that is often uninspiring, boring, lacking in meaning, and are expected to comply with the demands of the appointed leader (the teacher). Some students cannot connect authentically with the teacher or the material, and despite their efforts to understand how to navigate the complex and confusing landscape of school, they appear to be “failing.” This failure causes certain people (often artists, makers, healers, intuitives, would-be visionaries, outside-the-box thinkers) to feel confusion, hopelessness and frustration. This often leads to deep shame that they want to run away from (like many of the kids I work with), but year after year they are thrust again unwillingly back into the system that told them they were failures. This is a system that they do not know how to feel successful in. It feels like a lose/lose situation, so why try? They know they will never “make the grade” according to the rules of this game. I have come to believe that this type of failure is utterly unnecessary. Schools need revolutionary overhaul in order to fix this.

2. Failure as the crutch

As we get older, we can master using failure as a crutch, as a place to hide from taking healthy risks, to support our attempts at avoidance and resistance, as a reason to hold our greatness back. It dims our brightness. This type of failure is driven by fear. We try something and expect to master it, and when we don’t, when we see that it requires time, hard work and even asking for help, we play the victim and give up before we’ve really tried. We fear that if we fail, we are failures. We think it diminishes our worth as a human being. With failure as a crutch, we live in a story, a web of excuses and blame. Sometimes we talk about the blame with others when we know they will support our story, but sometimes it’s just a quiet story hiding in the dark corners of our minds, holding us back silently. It matters not whether we blame ourselves, society, our parents, bosses. It’s all blame, it’s all avoidance. It says, “I am a failure. I can’t do it. It’s not worth the effort. I’m not enough in some way. Not good enough, smart enough, talented enough, funny enough, attractive enough, popular enough.” So we seek distractions. This is real failure. It lacks the ability to be present since it is consumed with the story’s script. In other words, it is concerned with satisfying the ego and controlling future results which will depend on to affirm our worth, rather than being present for the journey. Jung would refer to this as the shadow self. It is limiting. It is sleep.

3. Failure as growth.

This is the failure that we should develop a love affair with. This is “good failure.” It is friend, not foe. It is a result of trying something new and seeing what happens. It is being present, in the moment, rather than obsessed with results and outcomes. There is an element of true play and adventure, fun and excitement. It is driven by meaningful work, by art, by hope for something interesting to happen. It does not depend on following the story line or script, but rather embraces an openness to possibilities and abundance. There is an element of childlike wonder and freedom in this failure. Instead of saying, “I am a failure” our souls respond with “that was a failure and now I have the opportunity to find a different way. Perhaps it will be better, perhaps not. But I am free to try again, to experiment, to grow, to be in the process, not the outcome.” It is a dance. It’s an adventure. There is a sense of journey with this failure, a special ability to be present. It’s the easiest because it’s fun, free, and it leads to learning, growth and it’s an integral part of the path to success. Failure is just seen as normal bumps in the road, no big deal. But it is the hardest because it demands we dive deep and see what we’re made of. The fear is still there but we walk through it even though it is uncomfortable. We build a different relationship with fear, we listen to it differently. We let it speak but we are not ruled by it’s voice. Failure as growth demands an ironic honesty; an acknowledgement of how awesome and powerful we are. Seeing our own light can be the scariest thing, but it is exactly what empowers our most authentic seeds to flourish.

How to trap a monkey (video)

There’s an old story called “How to trap a monkey” which is a great metaphor for life and for working with your obstacles. It’s one of those stories you can apply to your life and that you’ll remember for many years. Spider Monkey

💚 Give: Love my work and want to donate? 🎦 YouTube: Visit my official YouTube channel here. Please subscribe, like & comment to support my work. 👉 Share: To support me, please *CLICK* at the bottom to share on FB or Pinterest. ✏️ EF101: Here’s my jumpstart course for parents and teachers. 🙏 Thanks! — Seth

Video transcript:

Hey everybody, this is Seth with SethPerler.com and I’m glad you’re here. I’m here today to tell you a quick story called “How to trap a monkey.” It’s a great story with a great moral at the end of it. So here’s what happened: there’s this village of people a long time ago and there are monkeys that lived all around the village. One day, the village people decided that they wanted to figure out how to track a monkey. They started trying anything and everything they could possibly think of. They threw rocks at the monkeys, but the monkeys were too fast and they dodged the rocks. They shot arrows at the monkeys, but the monkeys were even too fast for the arrows and they would dodge them and get away completely unscathed. They took rope and tried to trap the monkeys, but it didn’t work. They made nets and tried to trap the monkeys, and that didn’t work either. The monkeys were just too fast and too smart. Finally, a little girl decided she had an idea that she thought might work. And here’s what she did: she took a log, a big log, and she hollowed out the log completely. Then, she drilled a hole into the top of the log, and then she filled the sides of the log so that, basically, it was an empty container with the hole on the top. Now the hole was a very special size. The hole was exactly the size of a monkey’s arm. Then, she decided to take these nuts and drop them down into the hole. And the monkeys love these nuts. They’re delicious and they couldn’t get enough of them. So these were what she used as the bait for her trap. So how did this trap work? Here’s what happened. One of the curious monkeys came over after the girl left and started to investigate. He looked in the hole to figure out that the nuts were in fact there. He decided, well, he’s going to steal them! So he takes his arm and he sticks it into the hole and he grabs the nuts. As he tries to bring his arm out of the hole, he now has a fist full of nuts, but his fist wouldn’t fit through the hole. So he was trapped. The girl walked over, picked the monkey, and she had now trapped a monkey. She caught the monkey! It couldn’t get away, it didn’t even let go until she grabbed it. Now, why is this story so important? It’s because we get trapped by our own minds. We get trapped by our own thinking. I work with students, anywhere from elementary school through graduate school, and we all have the things that we grab on to and we trap ourselves. We become prisoners ourselves by our own self defeating thoughts. Thoughts that we can’t do something or something is too hard. Or thoughts that we don’t want to start on something because it’s just not fun. Things that block us. I don’t know what it is for you, but we all have our kryptonite. We all have things that we hold onto. If we don’t let go and pull our hand out, we’re trapped. So my question to you: what are the thoughts that you need to let go of? What are the thoughts that keep going and going and looping over and over again in your head that are not serving you, and that are holding you back from actually being your best? Or from actually accomplishing what you need to accomplish? So, that’s all I have for you today. A very short story. I hope this is helpful to you, and I hope that you can figure out what it is that you grab onto that you should let go of to help you. Have an awesome evening, and I’ll talk to you soon. Take care. Please CLICK below to share.

24 Tips for better sleep

Far too many of my students have sleep problems, yet good sleep is one of the foundations for optimizing brain function and learning. Fortunately, after talking with countless students about this issue, it’s good to know that they often value the relationship between sleep and how they function emotionally, cognitively and physically. They understand that the price to pay for poor sleep is huge. But taking action is another story. What can we do to help them take action that works?

First, get perspective about sleep

Remember, we sleep for 1/3 of our lives. It is that important.
We need a simple definition of good sleep. To me, good sleep is simply restful sleep. So the question to ask is, “how restful is your sleep?“
Our modern world has thrown our circadian rhythms out of whack! For the first time in human history, we can have bright artificial light, after dark. Practical use of light bulbs didn’t even begin until the early 1900s. Before that we would have only had dim fire light at night, and this change has had a tremendous effect on humans. And the light emitted from electronic devices after dark is especially disruptive since it signals the brain that it is still daytime.
The pineal gland makes melatonin, critical to falling asleep. Darkness signals this gland to produce melatonin so we can sleep, light signals it to stop so we can wake up. This regulates the circadian rhythm, which is designed to help our bodies sustain healthy patterns. Our brains are confused!
Some people have problems with onset insomnia, where it takes too long to fall asleep. Some have middle insomnia, where they wake too many times during the night. Some have terminal insomnia, where they wake up too early (this has been my biggest problem). Knowing which one you struggle with will help you personalize the solutions below.

24 Tips to better sleep

For me, the solution has been a combination of many small things that add up to a better night’s sleep. Here are some easy things you can try to see what works for you:

Make sure the temperature in the bedroom is right. It should be a bit cool, about 68 degrees.
Find ways to get the room to be pitch dark at night.
Keep pets out of the room if they interrupt sleep.
If there are sounds that wake you up, figure out how to get rid of the noise or consider white noise (a fan for example).
Figure out how to make the bed more comfortable.
Pick a consistent bed time and wake time. Post your routine until it becomes habit.
Put the alarm clock as far from you as possible so you have to get up to turn it off. This will help you wake up more fully.
Cover all light sources (even the clock if possible).
One of the best tips I can give you is to just make a rule to keep all electronics out of the bedroom, always. At the very least, do not use a tv, cell phone or computer 1 hour after sunset. The blue light emitted from these tell the brain to stay awake.
Do not ingest anything with caffeine.
Do less stuff! If your schedule is packed, it’s ok to let things go, especially if it affects your health.
Think too much? Journal for 5 minutes every night before bedtime.
Keep a notepad by the bed to list any important to do items that are spinning around in your head.
Don’t go to bed hungry or stuffed.
No drinking before bed or you may have to wake up to use the bathroom.
Use a consistent wind-down routine to get yourself ready for bed.
Some people sleep better after eating a tablespoon of almond butter, taking magnesium at bedtime or taking melatonin (I am not a big fan of melatonin because I want my body to produce it more naturally).
Get plenty of exercise during the day. This is critical.
Try 4-7-8 breathing. This works well for me. Breathe in for 4 seconds, pause for 7, exhale for 8.
Meditate regularly. This helps regulate every system in the body.
Try different sleep positions and take note of how you sleep best.
Use tools to quiet the senses. Try a sleep mask, ear plugs, a weighted blanket, etc..
Short naps can help some people sleep better.
Make the bed and clean the bedroom. Clutter makes it harder to sleep.

Note: Always keep in mind that there may be serious issues going on behind the scenes that may be affecting sleep. If you think something may be going on, do not hesitate to see a professional so you cna get the right help.

Now go take action!

Implement a ew of the suggestions right now! You’ll sleep better tonight and feel better tomorrow. Feel free to print this and use it as a guide. And if this helped you, please share it (try a share button below). What works for you? Share in the comments below.

How to deal with spring fever insanity

Here’s the scoop:

Spring has sprung and things are getting crazy. Energy is escalating. Teachers are getting tired from the long year, their plates are piling up with end of year tasks. Students are burnt out from testing. End of year assignments/projects/tests piling up. Everyone wants to be outside. It is even more difficult to focus. Struggling students are more at risk because the end of the school year is closing in very fast.

What to do about it?

Double down. Do a thorough backpack overhaul. Go through every paper and make sure outstanding assignments are completed and turned in. Check your grades meticulously. Figure out what needs to be addressed, make a detailed list and do it now. Get a study partner or accountability partner. Find someone who will support you, push you and not let you get away with excuses. Email teachers to meet for help. They are there for YOU so take advantage of that. Use your planner daily AND make a daily plan to keep you focused on your priorities. Be sure to thank teachers. They have worked incredibly hard behind the scenes all year and deserve the acknowledgement. Finally, after all your hard work, slow down periodically, take a deep breath, smile, and get out to enjoy the spring. Always remember to enjoy the gift of life. Have a great spring, Seth ps- below you can share some of your ideas for dealing with spring fever.

“Stop Stealing Dreams”

If you haven’t read this yet, it’s time. It’s called Stop Stealing Dreams (What is School For?) by Seth Godin. It’s one of my favorites, something I’ve read several times. I consider it a must-read for anyone interested in education that works. It’s a 200 page manifesto in PDF format. Download it and dive in when you get time (at least read the first few pages this week to get a taste for it). Enjoy…

You can read it here: Stop Stealing Dreams (What is School For?)

What are some of your favorites??? You can share below.