Procrastination: Self-Awareness and Strategy
If you often think to yourself, “He’s just so lazy,” or “Why does she always wait until the last minute to do her projects?! She had forever to work on this!” you are not alone. Many parents struggle to understand why their students are constantly procrastinating.
While procrastination has commonly become synonymous with “lack of discipline” or poor organizational skills, complex psychological explanations are often more common and need to be unpacked to truly help your student. According to Princeton University’s McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning, identifying the cause of procrastination takes away a lot of its power and makes it easier to actively avoid these habits.
There are a few main causes of procrastination:
Perfectionism/ fear of failure
Low self-confidence
Lack of motivation
Poor time management
Tying back to our discussions on active learning, limiting procrastination is an active process of self-talk and recognition of behaviors. Identifying the underlying causes of procrastination will help to determine the best strategies for combating it. It can be difficult to get students to engage in this introspection, but identifying the actual cause of procrastination is vital to solving the problem.
Questions your student should ask themselves about procrastination:
“Are there behavioral patterns I see when I procrastinate?”
“What feelings do I experience when I know I have to start a large project or study for a test?”
Focusing on patterns and emotions helps students identify procrastination as a problem to be solved rather than as a personal failure, making them much more open to taking decisive actions to work to solve these challenges.
CHOOSING YOUR SNOWBALL: BREAKING DOWN BIG OR TOUGH TASKS
Getting started on large projects or preparing for big tests can be difficult! It's one of the most common problems students face with procrastination. Small moments of procrastination lead to mounting work and additional stress, creating a snowball effect that transforms a manageable project into a daunting task.
Think about students who know they procrastinate on essays:
They know they need to get started early, yet they inevitably begin a day or two before the task is due. Gone are the first and second drafts they planned to write. Also gone is the time to peer edit or meet with the teacher to gain valuable feedback. Instead, they only have a few hours to write the entire essay. But if you look at it from another perspective, their task is now clear: write the whole essay. The time crunch has simplified the process for the student, even though it will detract from the quality of the essay. If your student has ever said, “I do better under pressure,” he or she is having issues breaking down the task into smaller pieces that seem achievable.
Alternatively, when students take small steps to get their project started, the snowball effect can actually be used for positive results. A big project is merely a series of small tasks that are easier to accomplish. For example, “writing an essay” may sound overwhelming, but “finding three direct quotes” or “identifying two interesting themes in the text” is more manageable. As students collect these pieces of information, they're well on their way to having an essay written.
To use this method effectively, students should create a checklist for themselves of tasks that will take less than 15 minutes. This checklist can be implemented in their planner to help them accomplish smaller tasks well in advance of the final project due date. Setting task goals each week will help to keep students on track.
Channeling energy into the positive snowball helps to eliminate stress, keeps students more organized, and ensures they have devoted time and thought into each step of the project.
Working through smaller tasks to accomplish larger goals is a helpful strategy for many students but should be catered to their specific needs. Successful techniques are meant to limit stress and increase productivity. Having a shorter list of tasks may be more effective for some students because long lists might feel overwhelming to them. Students should adjust strategies to promote their optimal productivity.
Student Action: Ask yourself about an upcoming project or assignment: “What am I avoiding?” After identifying what you’re avoiding, turn that project into 1-2 small tasks that will help you get started/make progress.
Parent Action: Encourage your student to dive into their work with confidence.
STUDY TIP OF THE WEEK: ACCOUNTABILITY BUDDY
This technique can be used when working to accomplish any goal. Holding yourself accountable is an important step in limiting procrastination, but it doesn’t have to be a solitary process. Tell someone about the project you are working on. They can also share a goal of theirs with you. Hold each other accountable in making progress toward accomplishing those specific goals.
FURTHER READING AND RESOURCES
“Procrastination.” The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: UNC Learning Center dives into the causes of procrastination through the lens of motivation and presents fun solutions for altering habits.
“Understanding and Overcoming Procrastination.” Princeton University: Examines various causes behind procrastination and provides helpful tips for working through the challenges of overcoming these habits.
“Why Wait? The Science Behind Procrastination.” Association for Psychological Science: Provides a comprehensive view of procrastination research and dives into its psychological impacts and effects on performance.