How to chunk work at the end of a semester

Hey, what’s going on?

This is Seth Perler from SethPerler.com. I’m an executive function coach based out of Boulder, Colorado, and I help struggling students navigate this thing called school and education.

Today, at the end of April, on this Sunday, I have my students coming in early. I want to talk to parents and teachers about batching work, or what I usually call chunking.

Basically, what’s going on is that it’s the end of the school year. If your child struggles with executive function issues, this part of the year is what I call the “Hail Mary” part of the semester.

Why do I call it Hail Mary time?

Here in Colorado, most schools finish at the end of May. During this Hail Mary period, my middle and high school students are dealing with makeup work because many of them struggle with missing assignments, incomplete work, late work, and similar issues.

So they’re dealing with:

• Makeup work from the past

• Current work they’re supposed to be managing

• Upcoming work that’s still ahead of them

And right now, what’s coming up is what I call PEPPER:

• Papers

• Exams

• Projects

• Reading assignments

These are all long-term assignments.

My students are notoriously not great at long-term planning. They’re also often unrealistic about the amount of time and energy required to complete their work.

Because of that, this Hail Mary period can truly be make-or-break time.

This is when students who continue avoiding their work often end up shooting themselves in the foot. They may have to attend summer school, retake classes in the fall, fail classes, or deal with other serious consequences.

On the other hand, students who devote the necessary time and energy to completing what needs to get done usually do well—or at least well enough.

That’s why, during this Hail Mary period, when students are dealing with PEPPER and these major long-term assignments, I focus heavily on teaching them how to chunk or batch their work.

This is something I teach year-round, but I especially want parents and teachers to pay attention to it right now.

Today is Sunday, and I have students coming into my office between 3:00 PM and 9:00 PM.

They’re not all here for the entire six hours, but I’ve blocked out that time specifically so they can batch their work. In fact, I’ve scheduled these long work sessions three separate times during the end of the school year.

The goal is to create large blocks of focused time where students can settle in, concentrate, and truly engage with their work.

What often happens is that students think:

“Oh, I’ll finish that paper in an hour.”

Or:

“I’ll get that assignment done in thirty minutes.”

But for students who struggle with executive function, it can take thirty minutes just to get started.

That’s why we want to create large blocks of relaxed, uninterrupted time.

Tonight we’ll even have dinner together in the middle of the session. The students can come in, make a plan, and focus on what matters most.

During a six-hour work period, I typically want students focusing on only one, two, or three major tasks.

For example:

If they have an exam coming up, I want them to devote real time to studying—not cramming, but actually learning how to study effectively.

If they’re writing a paper, I want them to engage fully in the writing process rather than rushing through it just to get it done.

If they have reading assignments, I don’t want them reading a single chapter and stopping. I want them to settle in, engage deeply, and make meaningful progress.

And if they’re working on a project, I want them fully immersed in the process instead of rushing to the finish line.

So often, our kids simply want to get things over with.

But for students with executive function challenges, it’s incredibly important to help them structure their time differently.

Parents and teachers, I want to encourage you to help your students create large chunks—or batches—of focused work time devoted to a few important projects.

Help them understand that these assignments take longer than they think.

Help them be realistic.

Take half a Saturday, half a Sunday, or a quiet evening when nothing else is scheduled and say:

“Let’s focus on this one thing.”

That kind of dedicated time can make a huge difference.

Anyway, this is a short vlog today. I just wanted to share what I’m doing with my students and hopefully give you something you can apply with yours.

Again, my name is Seth Perler from SethPerler.com. I’m an executive function coach based out of Boulder, Colorado.

If you haven’t subscribed to my website, I send out a free vlog every week about helping struggling students. I also offer a free mini-course designed to help students succeed.

And if you haven’t subscribed on YouTube, feel free to do that as well.

If you like what I’m doing, please share it with someone who might benefit.

And leave a comment:

How do you help students batch their work?

Parents and teachers, what advice do you have for helping kids chunk large projects into manageable pieces so they can actually accomplish what they need to accomplish?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Have a fantastic day, and I’ll see you soon.