Free apps and extensions for supporting executive functioning skills
As executive functioning coaches, we always want to give our students the tools they need to build independence and make their lives easier! Smart devices can be a mixed bag in making this happen. We all have to learn to balance the challenges of distraction by devices with all of the potential resources and support available through our devices.
There are easily accessible ways to use our devices to our advantage as tools for improving executive functioning. Everyone has their own relative strengths and weaknesses, and we can find tools to help support us in managing our day-to-day better.
Executive functioning apps that come with your phone
As I find myself repeating to all my students, we need to work smarter, not harder. Our brains already have enough to remember, so let’s start with the basics that come with every device: calendar, reminder, and notes apps. These apps address the executive functioning areas of organization and working memory.
Calendars and alarms
I personally cannot remember appointments or birthdays without writing them down anymore. This is where the calendar that comes with my phone is perfect for me: I can create an event (niece’s birthday), set an alert (9 am), and have it repeat (yearly). That way I never forget to send a happy birthday text!
I actually go a step further and set the initial alarm to remind me two weeks before so I don’t forget to buy a birthday gift. Dentist or doctor’s appointment? I don’t need a reminder card because I put it right into my calendar as I’m scheduling it. Work meeting? Into the calendar it goes, along with an alarm to remind me to sign in to Zoom both 5 minutes before and at the time of the meeting.
This app works just as well for students: they can block out study times, record future dates of tournaments or games, and due dates for assignments.
Reminder app: set for times and locations!
I use the reminder app for due dates for bills, to tell me to buy pet food, or if I have a book or show I want to follow up on. The app allows me to set alerts for date and time to be reminded.
It can remind me at a location as well; if I know I need to turn in something at school, I set the alert for “at (address)” and the phone reminds me when I am outside the location. If it’s a reminder that needs to repeat, I can set it up that way as well. It’s both scary and helpful how much my phone knows about me!
For students, maybe they need to remember to get a permission slip signed or turn in an assignment; they could set the reminder for date/time or location, whichever works best for the task.
Customize your notes app
I have students who prefer to record their homework to a list in the basic notes app that comes with their phones. The notes app comes with lots of potential and helpful customizations!
They can put text in the list and also attach a photo (e.g. if the teacher has written certain instructions on the board).
They can set it up so that it is a checklist and then decide how they want to “cross things off”.
One of my students listed out her subjects (e.g. history, ELA, and math). Then underneath each subject at the end of class she would either write “none,” the assignment if brief, or record a photo if detailed. She then erased the listed items under each subject as she completed them.
If your student prefers to cross off items, it can be set up that way as well!
That’s the beauty of these apps: you make them work in a way that is best for you!
Decide the distractions you don’t want
Devices, while often a source of distraction, can also work the other way and help you focus. Following are some tips for taking back control of your concentration:
Functions that come with the phone or tablet such as “silent,” “do not disturb,” or “airplane” modes all can be used effectively to stop the notifications that trigger us and pull us out of concentration. You also may need to turn your phone over during focused time, so you don’t see or hear the notifications.
You can mute text groups during a specified amount of time, so that you can choose when you catch up with your friends and family!
One tip for balancing work and fun on your device is using the Pomodoro approach. This means you work for 25 focused minutes and then take a 5-minute break. You can apply this to using airplane mode (25 minutes with airplane mode on while you’re focusing and then a 5-minute break to catch up with airplane mode off) or with muting group texts (25 minutes of focusing on work with group muted and 5 minutes to catch up). While reading through missed texts during a 5-minute break can be overwhelming, it will also be clear how much your concentration would have been disrupted if you hadn’t muted that group!
I love the newer “do not disturb” option, as it does allow for texts that could be urgent to come through, such as from a partner or parent or child, but automatically mutes everyone else. If we think about it, how many texts or notifications that we receive during the day really need an immediate response or reaction? Probably very few. And yet we tend to respond immediately because the sound of the notification interrupts our focus and triggers our brain that it MUST RESPOND.
If I know I need to turn in something at school, I set the alert for 'at (address)' and the phone reminds me when I am outside the location.
Executive functioning apps or extensions for download
If you find that the apps included on your device aren’t working well for you or you need a different design, there are lots of other free options available. Originally, I had planned to split this between apps for children and those for adults, but in reality, most apps work well across age groups. It just really depends on who you are as an individual and what you need support with.
Links are included as best I could find them; you may have to search your device’s app store or browser extension store to find what works for your device. Not all apps or extensions are available across all devices. Some apps have free and premium versions with different limits on how the app can be used.
Organization apps
Organization apps tend to be cross-categorical, in terms of EF support. Many can be used for note-taking, to do lists, and include notifications you can set. Play around and see which works best for you.
iStudiez Pro (this is probably more applicable to post-high school students)
Self-regulation apps and tips
Looking for some assistance with self-regulation? You can search for “music for anxiety” or “stress relief” on YouTube and then play that while taking deep breaths. But if you’re looking for something more specific, these apps might help:
Support with focus
Apps and extensions that are meant to increase your focus often have a function of blocking access to other sites or tabs, which can be highly effective. One first step I also recommend is if you are on a computer, open a new window so old tabs won’t draw away your attention.
Pomodoro (this is just one option; there are multiple pomodoro timers available across devices to help implement the Pomodoro Technique)
30-30 Schedule (android)
Support with school work
While not specifically an EF skill, there are also many free apps to help with schoolwork. A couple I want to highlight in particular because students have reported finding them helpful:
Dragon Dictation (this is not free but if you or your child has significant challenges with writing, it is worth looking into)
Be your own coach!
Of course, there are plenty of other options out there that may meet your interface and specific needs. When you have some free time, I encourage you to explore. Search terms that would be helpful include “focus” “timers” “study” and “productivity.”
Remember though, no app or extension can help you if you don’t also put the effort in. I can set a timer on my phone, but if I then go on my computer and play games instead of writing, it’s not the timer’s responsibility for me not completing my work. I must also make the conscious choice that if I set the timer, then I will work until it says I’m done. You got this!
About the author:
Tulin S. Akin is a certified school psychologist who has been working as a tutor and Executive Function coach with Chicago Home Tutor since 2015. Prior to CHT, she worked in public schools (elementary and high school) for eight years, after getting her specialist degree in school psychology for Illinois State University. Tulin works with students in all academic areas but has chosen to specialize in EFs after observing the affects of poorly functioning EF skills on student performance and long-term functioning. Her articles are based on reviews of current research literature, texts for practitioners, and hands-on supports for students through college age.
