Things to Try Cards - Teens Version
Strategy Experiment Cards
Match your challenge to evidence-based strategies. Track what works.
🚀
Task Initiation
Strategies to experiment with:
Implementation intentions: "When X, I will Y"
Body doubling (work with someone present)
Reduce friction: prep everything first
Commitment device: tell someone your plan
Effectiveness:
★★★★★
🏃
Restlessness
Strategies to experiment with:
Standing desk or varied positions
Scheduled movement every 25 minutes
Under-desk bike or treadmill
Walking meetings or study sessions
Effectiveness:
★★★★★
🧠
Working Memory
Strategies to experiment with:
Externalize everything: apps, lists, notes
Launch pad system for essentials
Voice memos for quick capture
Same spot for keys, wallet, phone
Effectiveness:
★★★★★
💜
Emotional Regulation
Strategies to experiment with:
TIPP: Temperature, Intense exercise, Paced breathing
Name it to tame it (label the emotion)
Grounding: 5-4-3-2-1 senses
Opposite action (act opposite to urge)
Effectiveness:
★★★★★
🔄
Transitions
Strategies to experiment with:
Transition rituals and routines
Advance warnings and visual schedules
Transition objects or activities
Built-in buffer time between tasks
Effectiveness:
★★★★★
⏰
Time Blindness
Strategies to experiment with:
Time blocking with visual calendar
Multiple alarms with specific labels
Analog clocks for visual time sense
Overestimate time needed by 50%
Effectiveness:
★★★★★
Personal Findings
💡 Approach these as experiments, not solutions. What works varies by context, state, and time. Track patterns over time.
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