Make Procrastination a Thing of the Past

Does your student procrastinate? Has your student found ways to raise the art of putting off doing schoolwork to new levels?

Students frequently struggle with putting off work because the thought of doing that work causes increased stress and anxiety. It seems the higher the stakes—GPA, college applications looming, etc.—the more this anxiety leads to even greater work avoidance or more procrastination.

I often hear my students bemoan their self-described chronic procrastination as laziness, but laziness generally has nothing to do with it.

Five Reasons Students Procrastinate

1. Stress and anxiety impacts their ability to start and execute.
2. Lack of having a process for breaking down large assignments into manageable segments.
3. Insecurity and self-doubt around their ability, even though they are fully capable.
4. Distractions, especially from technology.
5. Using avoidance to temporarily alleviate stressors.

Ways to Help Students Overcome Procrastination

• Recognize what is triggering the anxiety.
• Eliminate distractions.
• Identify simple actions they can take to get started.
• Find ways to make it easier for them to continue moving forward.
• Allow for some self-forgiveness and compassion.

Demystify procrastination for students and help them build more productive habits around schoolwork. Not only will this help them as students, but also later in life. After all, adults put off work all the time. We just don’t have to worry about our GPAs!