“Wait, But Why?” Tips for Helping Your Student Fight Procrastination
Good luck finding a human who hasn’t procrastinated on something. From dental appointments and cleaning out the garage to doing taxes or writing that quarterly summary for work, even the most motivated adults struggle with putting off difficult, dreaded and distasteful tasks once in a while. So why are we often surprised when kids and teens procrastinate on homework, projects or even picking up their room?
The Why Behind Procrastination
Before you can tackle the “how” of helping your student fight procrastination, it helps to understand the “why.”
Beyond simply “lack of motivation,” some children and teens may experience one or more of the following:
- Fear of failure
- Perfectionism
- Low self-confidence
- Poor organizational skills
- Lack of understanding regarding the task
- Difficulty focusing
- Low energy levels
While you may be tempted to rule out some of these reasons immediately or simply chalk up procrastination to laziness or defiance, it may not be an accurate assessment of the issue. Just look at these two examples, including some of the foundational cognitive skills needed to complete these actions successfully:
PARENT: “My kid is bouncing off the walls. They have plenty of energy to start their homework!”
REALITY: A child with undiagnosed ADHD may appear hyperactive, but their attention struggles may leave them challenged when it comes to staying focused for an extended time (sustained attention) or ignoring distractions (selective attention).
PARENT: “My teen knows they have a 5-page paper due.”
REALITY: A shy teen may not have the confidence to ask for clarification on an assignment in class. They may have forgotten (working memory) what the teacher explained (auditory processing) or struggled to stay organized (executive function) enough to take good notes, create an outline or make time for research.
Tips to Help Your Student Fight Procrastination:
1. Ensure their brain is rested, fueled and hydrated.
As an adult, how do you feel about doing important mental tasks when you’re hungry, thirsty or tired? A tired kid (or teen) is probably going to put off working on anything—even fun activities. But sometimes that late-afternoon slump isn’t about whether or not they got a good night’s sleep, but rather whether they’re dehydrated or needing fuel for their brain to function its best. Before you delve into homework, provide a healthy snack with protein and carbohydrates and water (or other low-sugar, non-caffeinated beverage). If the sleepiness continues, you may need to reevaluate the quantity and quality of their sleep.
2. Create a routine for homework.
Most kids thrive with routine and knowing homework time is always after soccer practice or at 7 p.m. after dinner helps them create parameters for getting their work done. Consider shifting weekend homework to Friday evening while material is still fresh, which will also free up your Sunday nights to spend time with family or relaxing before the start of the school week.
3. Break larger tasks into smaller ones.
A five-page report can feel like a daunting task. Teach your student how to break down bigger or more complex projects into smaller tasks with earlier deadlines along the way. You may also want to consider setting a timer for small increments (e.g., 10 or 15 minutes) and then offering a break. Sometimes knowing there’s a set amount of time to work provides just enough incentive to build motivation.
4. Ensure they have the tools they need within reach.
Whether it’s a desk in their room or a spot at the dining room table, it’s vital to have all the tools your student needs within arm’s reach. This will prevent them from repeatedly getting out of their seat or wasting time searching for a calculator, eraser, markers, or dictionary.
5. Praise effort and other attributes.
A student who tries their hardest but still doesn’t excel at something may feel defeated or less intelligent than their peers—even when that’s not the case. Rather than only praising good grades, goals scored, or coming in first at the piano competition, look for opportunities to praise true effort, regardless of outcome. And recognize that a child who continuously puts their best effort into schoolwork but still struggles with poor grades may have a learning disability. (And yes, even smart kids can have a learning disability!)
6. Have your student’s cognitive skills tested.
To many of us parents, it may look like our kid is just being “lazy” or disobedient, when the reality is that their cognitive skills aren’t strong enough to help them perform their best in school, at home and in extracurricular activities. Procrastination is often just one of the many signs that a person’s cognitive skills could use a boost.
Also known as “brain skills,” these core skills (i.e., auditory and visual processing, logic & reasoning, processing speed, memory, and attention) are what our brain uses to think, read, learn, remember, reason and pay attention. Working together, they take incoming information and move it into the bank of knowledge that we use every day at school, at work and in life.
Because each of these skills plays an important part in processing new information, learning can be impacted if even one cognitive skill is weak. In fact, most learning struggles are caused by one or more weak cognitive skills.
To find out if your student’s cognitive skills could benefit from an individualized one-on-one brain training program to target and train any brain skills that need a boost, consider getting a Brain Skills Assessment. The test only takes about an hour and the results often provide an “Aha!” moment for parents who have questioned why their student can perform so well on certain activities but struggle with other types of tasks for assignments.
Don’t fall prey to the belief that procrastinating is only about laziness!
Take some time to talk to your student about their fears and concerns regarding school and if you’re consistently seeing them struggle to perform well academically, consider having their brain skills assessed. Once you know which brain skills could use a boost, you can make decisions about next steps. At the very least, the one-hour cognitive skills assessment will reveal which foundational skills may be holding them back from excelling in school, sports, and life in general!
