Why & How to build SUMMER executive function skills, easily

Hey, what’s up? It’s me, Seth at sethpro.com. Students, in this video you might want to grab a pen and start taking some notes—make a little bulleted list of ideas that resonate with you.

What I’m going to talk about today is how you might want to consider using your summer break to continue building your brain’s executive functions. Whatever that means—I’ll explain it momentarily.

Here’s the deal. Students, parents, and teachers—you might like this video as well. Students, it’s summer break. Most of you have about two months, and then you’re back at school. Summer break goes by super fast. It’s going to be over before you know it, just like this school year ended before you knew it. If you think back, it feels like it was just fall last year, and suddenly the school year flew by.

Now it’s summer break. Your brain is continuing to develop throughout the summer—especially the front part of your brain, the prefrontal cortex (or frontal lobe). This is the part that helps you with executive function. It continues to develop and grow until you’re about 25 or 30 years old. It’s the last part of the brain to fully develop.

So this summer, your brain is not going to take a break—it’s going to keep developing. Obviously, you don’t want to be overloaded with school like you just were, but you do want to continue using your brain. Think of it like exercising. The brain isn’t technically a muscle, but it’s still a “use it or lose it” situation. You want to keep using these skills.

Why am I suggesting that you continue practicing executive function skills this summer? Because when you go back to school in the fall, it will make school—and life—easier and more fun. You’ll have more freedom, and you’ll set yourself up for more choices, possibilities, and opportunities in the future.

If you don’t build these habits early, you might end up as an adult feeling limited, without the time or freedom to do what you want—because you didn’t plant those seeds when you were younger.

So this summer—these two months—is actually an amazing opportunity to build executive function skills and strengthen neural pathways in your brain.

How can you do this easily?

What I want to propose is simple: practice structures. Two types of structures, in particular, will help you use a wide range of executive function skills. I teach about 13 executive function skills, and what I’m about to share will help with all of them.

Specifically, I want to encourage you to practice structure and organization.

Here’s what I mean. The structures I’m talking about include calendars, planners, reminders—things like that. You might not like this (I didn’t when I was younger), but they’re powerful.

You’ve got about two months—roughly eight to ten weeks. Get a big desk calendar, or make your own. Put it on the wall. Start planning what you want to do.

First, plan to have fun. Seriously—put that on the calendar. Take time to decompress. Hang out with friends. Relax. You probably need a week or two to just unwind after the school year.

But here’s the key: plan that time. Plan your fun. Put it on the calendar. This actually strengthens your executive function skills and helps you plan better—even when life gets busier later on.

Next, I want you to plan something called micro projects and overhauls.

Micro projects are small—5, 10, or 30 minutes. Overhauls are bigger—half a day, a full day, or even a weekend.

These projects help you declutter and reorganize your life. First, you clear things out. Then, you rebuild in a more organized way. When you go back to school in the fall, everything will feel easier because you’ve already done this work.

So here’s what I want you to do: put a “project day” or “overhaul day” on your calendar. It could be Sundays, Wednesdays—whatever works. Pick one day a week to handle responsibilities like chores, organizing, and projects.

I call this the “Sunday Night Overhaul,” but you can choose any day. The point is to have a consistent time to get things done.

Then, make a list of all the micro projects and overhaul projects you want to do. You can schedule them on your project day or spread them throughout the week. If something only takes 10 minutes, you could do several in one week.

Let me give you some examples.

I’ve worked with students who come to me in November, struggling in school, and we start with something simple—like cleaning out their backpack. Some of them still have stuff from the previous school year in there.

No shame—but don’t let that happen this year.

One of your summer projects should be going through your backpack. Get rid of what you don’t need. Keep what matters. Archive sentimental items if you want—but clear the rest out.

Why hold onto things you don’t need?

You can also overhaul your study area. Or do micro projects—like organizing a drawer, a shelf, your books, your shoes, your clothes, or old toys.

You can declutter digitally too—clean out your inbox, unsubscribe from emails, organize files.

And don’t forget mental and emotional clutter. You might want to work on relationships, talk to a counselor, or resolve lingering issues. That’s part of decluttering too.

Look around your life—your room, your garage, your space—and identify what needs attention. Make a list. Put it on your calendar. Start working through it.

Now, the last thing I want to say is this:

As you plan your summer and build these systems, I really want you to focus on your brain’s health—especially sleep, nutrition, and exercise.

Sleep is huge. Honestly, it’s one of the most important things, and a lot of students struggle with it right now. Devices play a big role—phones and screens interfere with sleep.

Teenagers already have a hard time sleeping, and now it’s even worse. Poor sleep affects your mood, mental health, focus—everything.

If you’re struggling with your mood, the first question I’d ask is: how is your sleep?

One of the best research-backed strategies is to have a consistent sleep and wake time.

So here’s what I want you to do: create a simple sign. Write down what time you’ll go to bed and what time you’ll wake up. Put it on your wall.

Even if you don’t follow it perfectly, that’s okay. You’ll follow it more often than you would without it. Your brain will start adapting to a pattern.

Better sleep leads to better executive function, better mental health, better focus—and a better life overall.

Then think about fitness and nutrition in a similar way. Set simple goals. Make them visible. Put them on your calendar.

But if you focus on just one thing—make it sleep.

So overall: use calendars, to-do lists, planners, and systems. Do some decluttering and reorganizing. Have fun—but also spend a little time each week working on these small improvements.

It will make your life so much easier this fall.

Alright—that’s it. Be well. Turn off this video and go do something good for yourself. Connect with people. Have fun. Invest in yourself.

Have a fantastic day.

Again, my name is Seth. Like this if you liked it. Share it with someone who might benefit. Subscribe, and leave a comment—what advice do you have? What do you like to declutter or reorganize? What are your micro projects? What helps you with sleep, exercise, or organization?

Go ahead and share your thoughts below.

Thank you so much. Be well—I’ll see you soon.