How To Defeat Procrastination Today, Not Tomorrow...Maybe Tonight

We’re all guilty. In fact, you’re probably guilty right now. But there comes a time in one’s life when procrastination just isn’t half as big a deal as it used to be. One, because you still manage to get things done, you’ve learned how to successfully procrastinate at this point, or two, it’s just how you roll. But at one point during your life, procrastination only made things worst, and your reasoning for it just would not do. You were a student, constantly assigned papers and homework and exams to study for, and your procrastination led to a slip-up (I’d assume). If it never led to failure, then bravo; you’re just like me J.

Well, now you have a child, and he/she procrastinates, either from time to time or all the time. There are many reasons that children may procrastinate. They may feel the work is too hard for them, and they fear the failure. They may not know what steps to take to complete given assignment, or to organize them correctly (“I don’t know where to start”). They also simply might not know when their assignment is due, and so they think they’ll have more than enough time to complete it. And finally, the student may have no interest in the subject and would just rather be doing something else. No matter what the reason, there are ways that may effectively decrease the amount of procrastination a child is displaying. Here they are:

• Turn work into games for a more relaxed approach to complete schoolwork. Got siblings? Good, then this one will be easy for you. Whoever gets the most homework done within the hour gets more for dessert. Or, you can be much more creative than that. Read out the questions to them, and if you know t the answer, make it a trivia. Guide them, just don’t do it for them
• Create a timeline for completing the project or assignment. Use this only as a guide (as all children an all projects are different, requiring various sets of effort and time).
• Set rules at home for work and play. This is one to be tough on, but they’ll thank you when they get the hang of it. Give them a break after school though, to veg, to relax and absorb the day. But cut it short with some homework before they pass out!
• Talk about a project or assignment and the steps needed to get it down. Help your child prioritize them by asking them why they need to do A before B.
•  Write down goals for each night, on a big chalkboard preferably, so they can draw a wonderful check mark next to it when they’re finished.
• Turn off all electronics (except calculators, or others they may need for the assignment). Electronics can distract, especially if a child is planning to watch TV after their homework is finished. If you see electronics cause procrastination, this is a rule to stick by.  
•  Reward your child for finishing goals. Whether it’s a simple “great job Johnny, I’m so proud of you,” or a Twizzler, reward them for goodness sakes. Young ones need to conceptualize reward in their little worlds before they grow up and are expected to complete assignments without instant gratification.

Keep in mind all students are different and will respond to methods of instruction and motivation in different ways. But by paying attention to your child’s process, what distracts them and what motivates them, you may be able to diminish interferences and maximize work ethic. You may see these skills transfer on later in life to other areas aside from homework. Teaching students effective strategies for task completion and time management is crucial early on and can also provide a sense of increased self-confidence as they learn to get things done.

Resources

Stuckey, Kevin. M.Ed. CCC-SLP. Super Duper® Publications Handy Handouts (2010):  Procrastination - We'll Talk About That Later