“Alexa, You're My Best Friend": Using Digital Assistants for Executive Functioning

Task InitiationOrganization
Written By Emily Bottegal, MS
 
 

“Alexa, turn off my alarm.”

“Google, remind me to buy milk.”

“Siri, what's my first meeting today?”

Sound familiar? For students, young adults, and busy professionals, digital assistants have become more than just a novelty. They're like a personal assistant, helping us manage our lives when our brains feel scattered or our routines get disrupted.

Tools like Amazon's Alexa, Google Home, and Apple's HomePod are great additions to your daily routine because they can directly support key executive functioning skills like task initiation and organization. They help you start tasks, stay on schedule, and remember everything you need to do, reducing the mental load and freeing up brain space.

How to Use Digital Assistants for Better Executive Functioning

Here are a few ways you can put these assistants to work for you.

Tech Tips for Task Initiation

This is more than just a wake up call. Use a digital assistant to set timers for specific tasks to help you stay on track.

  • For a student: Set a timer for a 15 minute homework sprint to help you focus and avoid getting distracted.

  • For work: Ask your assistant to set a reminder for a meeting in 5 minutes so you can finish your current task without rushing.

  • At home: Use a timer for cooking, taking medication, or doing a quick chore.

Tech Tips for Organization

Many assistants allow you to create custom routines with a simple voice command. This can be a game changer for streamlining your day.

  • Morning routine: Create a command like, “Hey Google, start my morning.” The assistant can then turn on the lights, play a morning playlist, and read your daily calendar events.

  • Evening routine: A command like, “Alexa, start bedtime routine,” can dim the lights, play calming music, and set your alarm for the next morning.

Building Life Skills with Digital Assistants

Digital assistants are excellent for capturing those quick thoughts and reminders you'd otherwise forget. This helps with your planning and prioritization skills.

  • On the go: When you're in the kitchen, just say, “Alexa, remind me to pack my lunch tomorrow.”

  • Brainstorming: If an idea for a project pops into your head, ask Siri to add it to your to do list immediately.

  • Appointments: Set a reminder to leave for your next appointment based on real time traffic updates.

Get Support for Your Executive Functioning Journey

While these tech tips can be a great starting point, they are just one tool in a larger toolkit of life skills. Building sustainable habits like these requires consistent effort and practice. If you find yourself feeling stuck, scattered, or overwhelmed by daily responsibilities, you're not alone.

Our Adult Group Program is a supportive community designed to help you build the habits and skills you need to succeed. With expert coaching and peer support, you can learn to manage your time, overcome procrastination, and stay motivated.

Emily Bottegal, MS

Ensuring students achieve academic, social/emotional, and personal success, Emily has a passion to empower students to succeed in and out of the classroom. Emily coaches from a strength-based approach and believes every individual has the ability to achieve success with the appropriate support and skills in place. She has dedicated her professional life to working with youth in school and community settings. 

Prior to joining the team, Emily worked as a School Site Coordinator and Home-Based Counselor in the Washington, DC area. In these roles, Emily engaged directly with students through individual counseling sessions and small group interventions focused on helping students meet personal goals relating to academics and managing emotions. Her direct experience helped her to understand the challenges individuals face both academically and personally, ultimately leading to her developing lessons around time management, scheduling, study skills, and organization. 

Most recently, Emily worked at a nonprofit, helping secure specialized instruction and support necessary to improve educational outcomes for low-income children with learning disabilities and developmental delays.

Emily has a Master’s degree in Counseling from Johns Hopkins University.

http://www.lifesolvedcoaching.com/who-we-are
Next

5 Ways to Build a Consistent Morning Routine