The Executive Functioning Workbook for Teens: Help for Unprepared, Late, and Scattered Teens

A practical workbook for teens with executive functioning disorder (EFD), ADHD, school stress, procrastination, disorganization, and trouble staying on track.

If you’re a teen who feels scattered, overwhelmed, unprepared, or always behind, you’re not alone. Maybe you forget assignments, lose track of deadlines, struggle to start homework, zone out in class, or feel frustrated when everyone tells you to “just get organized.” These challenges aren’t about laziness or lack of intelligence―they’re signs that your executive functioning skills need support.

The Executive Functioning Workbook for Teens offers an evidence-based, easy-to-use program to help you build the skills you need to manage school, relationships, responsibilities, and everyday life with more confidence.

Written directly for teens by a licensed school counselor, this workbook provides practical exercises to strengthen the executive functioning skills that help you plan ahead, manage time, stay focused, remember important information, handle frustration, communicate effectively, and follow through on goals.

In this workbook, you’ll learn how to:

• Get organized at school, at home, and in daily life
• Manage time, deadlines, homework, and long-term projects
• Improve focus, attention, memory, and follow-through
• Stop procrastinating and start tasks with less stress
• Take better notes and keep track of important information
• Handle frustration, setbacks, and emotional overwhelm
• Build communication skills for teachers, parents, friends, and classmates
• Create routines and strategies that work for your brain

Whether you have executive functioning difficulties, sensory processing challenges, ADHD, autism, or another form of neurodivergence―or simply feel unprepared, late, or scattered―this workbook gives you tools you can use right away. Instead of vague advice, you’ll find clear activities, real-life examples, and step-by-step strategies designed to help you feel more capable and in control.

You don’t have to figure everything out at once. With practice, support, and the right tools, you can build stronger executive functioning skills―and feel more prepared for school, relationships, and the future.

Note to parents and mental health professionals: This is a wonderful resource for anyone who knows or works with teens who suffer from executive functioning disorder (EFD), including parents, teachers, counselors, or clinicians. From handling frustration to taking notes in class, this book will help teens hone the skills they need to succeed.

Sharon A. Hansen, MSE, NBCT, is a professionally licensed school counselor in Berlin, WI. She has a bachelor's degree in developmental psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and a master's degree in education with an emphasis in school counseling from the same institution. Hansen is also a National Board Certified School Counselor, and belongs to the Wisconsin School Counselor Association (WSCA) and the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). She lives in Oshkosh, WI.