• Goal Achievement
• Decision Making
• Organization
• Time Management
• Task Initiation
• Priortization
• Working Memory

Goal Achievement

Consciousness of intent and impact can improve goal achievement. Research indicate that implementation of intentions are more helpful than goal intentions (Gollwitzer & Sheern, 2009). Goal intentions: "I want to reach X" (I want to weight 70kilo) vs Implementation intentions "When situation X arises, I will do Y" (When I crave sugar, I will eat an apple). When we set clear, personally-compelling intentions, we tend to respond, create supportive networks and make choices that align with our intent.

If you like reading reports, try Teaching Adolescents to Become Learners stating the need for learners to develop positive mindsets and effective learning strategies in order to succeed. The report points to four keys to getting academic success:

1. The feeling of belong to the group (family, school)
2. Linking the ideas that my ability and competence grow with my effort
3. Understanding that I can succeed at this
4. Feeling This work has value to me

Quickly list ten goals, broad or specific. Now rate each goal -

1. extremely important - I'll never give it up
2. very important - I won't give it up easily
3. moderately important - I could go either way
4. unimportant - I don't really care about this one
5. worthless - I've been wasting my time

Decision Making

Clabby and Elias Eight Steps for Decision Making

Look for signs of different feelings

Learn to invite instead of demand:

X, what happened? --> X, it looks like something happened to you.

X, did someone hurt you? --> X, you look as if someone hurt your feelings.

Learn to ask open ended questions:

Is your new teacher nice? --> What is your new teacher like?

Did you finish your homework? --> What homework did you do?

Learn to encourage and accept:

Encourage child to express feelings. Try by expressing what they seem to be (You seem unhappy, upset, ...) and asking about it. Try stating what you do when you feel that way (When I feel gloomy, I like to listen to sad music. What do you like to do when you feel gloomy?) If child chooses to talk about it, accept and acknowledge what you have heard. You may not understand or agree, but accept that is how the child feels about - so without judgement empathize and ask open ended questions to keep the child talking (as long as they want).

Learn to SHAVE

S= shoulders

HA= hands

V= voice

E= eyes and face

By observing shoulders, hands, voice, eyes and face we can learn a great deal about people's feelings - teach children to notice this in movies, books, and in general situations (use noticing, as opposed to judging language when practicing this in real life).

Tell yourself what the problem is

Learn to calm yourself:

Practice breathing exercise to calm shallow angry breathing (when not upset). When upset use mirroring - you breath and ask child just to copy you. Point at things and ask child to tell you what they are. Tell them that after tehy tell you what the things are, they will be able to tell you the problem more clearly.

Learn to suggest and ask:

Remember that once the child tells you the problem, your job is to help clarify their feelings, put the problem into words, define it as clearly as possible and help the child find solutions that could work towards solving their problem - try not to blame or judge in your response.

Decide on your goal

Learn to encourage expression (of goals and worries)

Use questions like: What are you trying to do? What do you to have happen? How do you want this to end up? If the term 'goal' is confusing try other words like: target, destination, end point, outcome. Talk about what your goals are and talk about goals when watching or reading together.

Stop and think of as many solutions to the problems as you can

Learn to ask for help!

Independence and self-reliance is important, but so is knowing when you to ask for help. Talk about helping others and how it makes you feel. Create a helping hand -

For each solution, think of all the things that might happen next

Learn to Instant Replay!

You: After the list of ideas, child might not remember what they said. Your job is to be able to replay each solution, one at a time and ask what they think will happen if they do it.

Child: Play a video or read a story. Stop and ask child to tell you what just happened in the story and what they think will happen next (and why?).

Learn to see alternatives:

In many situations, more than one option or solution is possible. Point out these moments as they happen. For example, if you are having eggs at a meal - point out three or four different ways you could make the eggs. Other options - directions (challenge yourself to take a different route to familiar places), art (talk about art and how it can mean different things on different days and to different people), storytelling (ask for alternative endings).

Choose your best solution

Learn to ask 'what if...?'

Start a game of 'what if...' during a car ride, or a boring wait in a line. Ask "I wonder what would happen if I could read people's minds...?" or "...I found a thousand dollars?" etc.

Learn to visualize you goals:

Take a moment to visualize the goal and the payoff of reaching that goal. By taking a moment to place it in your mind, you are more likely to come up with solutions and think each through to select the one that most probably would get you to your goal.

Plan it and make a final check

Learn to receive praise!

Being able to receive a complement is structural in society, builds the idea of self worth and builds the noticing and encouraging skills to give others complements or praise. If you notice your child receives your compliment without saying anything or looking gloomy, start by finding a calm time to practice. Give a compliment, ask if the praise was heard, then say the appropriate response like 'thank you' or a smile while explaining that it shows they heard the other person. Build this skill together - consider a compliment day where each person gives themselves a compliment for something they did that day or week (harder than it seems).

Learn to think ahead! Let child plan an event (their birthday party, a get together with friends or family, etc). Play games that demand thinking ahead like chess

Try it and rethink it

Learn to model!

1. Positive model - Compliment or appreciate things you did well "I am so pleased with myself for getting all of this done and still having time to play with you guys! I did a great job planning out my day! I'll try it this way again next time!"
2. Constructive model - "I didn't get it out in time. It took longer than I thought. Next time I will think first about the timing before I start doing projects like this"
3. Improvement model - "Ah! I see this is a big problem! Next time I will make a chart and keep track of who went first and second!"

Learn to gently prod!

1. Remind the goal- What was it you wanted? What is it you're trying to do? What will happen if your plan works?
2. Encourage - I can't wait to hear how it turns out! I know you can do it!
3. Get fears out - What do you think might go wrong? What if ____ does go wrong? What will happen? What's the worst case scenario here?

Learn to recall past successes!

A great way is to talk about it, but when one does it on one's own - a journal might be helpful. Writing things out is a great way to examine one's thoughts and feelings about past success, future goals and current predicaments

Organization

Coming Soon

Organization is not a goal in and of itself - it is a tool.

The process of arranging tasks, information, or materials in a systematic and efficient manner. It involves creating a structure or system to keep things in order and easily accessible. For example, organizing your email inbox or creating a to-do list are examples of organization.

Focus: Arranging tasks, information, or materials in a systematic and efficient way. Involves: Creating systems, categorizing items, and maintaining order. Goal: Improving efficiency, accessibility, and reducing clutter.

Bullet Journaling

Use a planner

Morning alarms at two minute intervals (stick it across the room)

Three main goals a day with one being of the highest priority.

If in a slump - add smaller tasks that need to be done (ie shower). Enjoy crossing it off the list.

Journal (great for dumping thoughts)

Organizers

Getting Things Done System

Capture: Gather all your tasks, projects, and ideas from various sources (e.g., email, notes, to-do lists) and record them in a trusted system. Clarify: Review your captured tasks and determine their significance. Decide whether they are actionable, delegate-able, or should be dropped. Organize: Organize your tasks into projects, contexts, and next actions. This involves breaking down larger projects into smaller, actionable steps. Reflect: Regularly review your system to ensure it remains effective and up-to-date. Adjust your system as needed to accommodate changes in your goals and priorities. Engage: Focus on your next actions, which are the most immediate steps required to move forward on your projects. Work on these tasks one at a time, maintaining a clear focus.

Key principles of the GTD system:

Empty your mind: Capture all your tasks and thoughts to free up mental space. Break down tasks: Divide large projects into smaller, manageable actions. Prioritize tasks: Focus on the most important and urgent tasks. Review and adjust: Regularly assess your system and make necessary changes. Trust your system: Have faith in your GTD system and let it guide your productivity.

Priortization

Coming Soon

the process of ranking tasks or activities based on their importance or urgency. It involves determining which tasks should be completed first and which can be delegated or postponed. Prioritization helps you focus on the most important tasks and avoid wasting time on less critical activities.

Eisenhower's Technique

By understanding the difference between urgent and important tasks, you can focus your energy on the most impactful activities.

Urgent and Important: These are tasks that require immediate attention and contribute significantly to your goals. Important but Not Urgent: These are tasks that are crucial to your long-term success but don't require immediate action. Urgent but Not Important: These are tasks that require immediate attention but are not essential to your goals. Not Urgent and Not Important: These are tasks that can be delegated or eliminated altogether.

Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a flexible method, and you can adjust the lengths of your work and break intervals to suit your needs and preferences.

1. Select the task you want to work on.
2. Set a timer for 25 minutes. This is your "Pomodoro" interval.
3. Work on your chosen task for the entire 25-minute Pomodoro interval without interruptions.
4. Once the timer goes off, take a short break of 5-10 minutes.
5. After four Pomodoros, take a longer break of 15-30 minutes.

Time Management

Coming Soon

Timeboxing

Timeboxing is a time management technique that involves allocating specific time blocks for different tasks or activities. By setting strict time limits, you can improve focus, reduce procrastination, and increase productivity.

• Determine the tasks you need to accomplish.
• Estimate how long each task will take to complete.
• Allocate specific time blocks for each task.
• During each time block, focus solely on the designated task without distractions.
• After each time block, take a short break to rest and recharge.

Focus: Efficiently using and allocating time to complete tasks. Involves: Setting goals, prioritizing tasks, scheduling, and managing distractions. Goal: Optimizing productivity and reducing stress.

Try StayFocused and RescueTime (or similar app)

Schedule work and down time alike.

Task Initiation

Coming Soon

Working Memory

The narrative that one tells oneself is powerful, and within that is the pleasure of a story. Some say that story and fantasy are but distractions - but there is a reason why they have been going on since sitting by a fire itself. There is power in the story and story has power.

Reading in and of itself has a power of pulling us into the story and letting us forget our momentary worries - a distraction, true, but a powerful tool for teaching empathy, language and culture. So what if you could use the story as a powerful device to facilitate memory?

Activity! Tell It Yourself We have learned to read books to our children, but let's give them an opportunity to tell the story themselves. Even if they don't know exactly what is going on, they can see the images and guess the movement from one page to the next. At first they will not be very good at this, but if you keep trying this activity, you will get great storytellers with fun-tastic memories! Check out our attempt @ Book Circle

Activity! Eye Spy/ I Spy

The game "I spy with my little eye, something ... " state color, everyone tries to guess what it is, is truly a classic! In the car, it has saved us from many a meltdown. Here are two other games you can try based on the same theme! Eye Spy is basically the same game, except you play it in a restaurant or waiting area. Instead of a color you choose something else, a bit more descriptive, yet small. Say - shoes! Next level - Ask child to look around for a few minutes, then give them the eye-spy detail while they have their back to the room!!

Activity! How many

Like eye-spy and I-spy, this is a paying attention game. After you enter a room, have child look around for a minute. Then ask them to close their eyes or turn their back and tell you - how many... How many people are wearing long sleeves? How many have hats? How many chairs? How many lights? At first, everyone will be terrible at this game! Don't worry! Celebrate the small wins!

Activity! Write It Down

If your child is writing, make time in the bedtime routine to write things down in a journal or notebook. If they are younger, help them take a moment to draw a small picture of the day, then ask them if they want to add some words to it (and write it down for them). Getting in the habit of writing things down benefits both mind and body - gives a place to air grievances and built up emotions, count blessings and be grateful, aspire and dream.

Activity! Anti-Dementia

1. Stay physically active: Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. Even 15 minutes of exercise three times a week can be beneficial compared to being inactive.
2. Engage in mental activities: Challenge your brain regularly with activities like reading, playing games, learning a new language, or pursuing hobbies.
3. Maintain social connections: Stay socially engaged with friends, family, and community activities to reduce isolation. Adopt a healthy diet: Focus on a balanced diet with less sugary foods and more brain-healthy nutrients.
4. Manage stress: Practice stress-reduction techniques and prioritize mental health.
5. Ensure quality sleep: Maintain good sleep habits, as proper sleep is crucial for brain health.
6. Avoid excessive alcohol consumption and quit smoking.
7. Control cardiovascular risk factors: Manage conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
8. Protect against head injuries: Take precautions to avoid traumatic brain injuries.
9. Get regular health check-ups: Monitor vitamin D levels, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar.
10. Address hearing loss: Get your hearing checked regularly and use hearing aids if necessary.
11. Maintain a healthy weight: Obesity in midlife is associated with increased dementia risk.
12. Pursue education and lifelong learning: Higher levels of education are linked to lower dementia risk.