How to help kids who procrastinate

ome of us grew up with the habit of procrastinating and never understood the consequences of our actions. We were always late in doing our work, getting anxious about it, and doing just enough to get by. For some of us, this habit followed us into adulthood. It's not unusual for people to put off doing things they don't enjoy or that they're afraid of.

Procrastination can have serious consequences. It can lead to anxiety, depression, and even failure. If you have a child who procrastinates, you may be wondering what you can do to help them.

Some people might tell you that procrastination helps them produce good work as they work really well under pressure. But constantly living in that state where you are blamed for not doing things on time can affect kids in many ways.

We need to understand why kids procrastinate in the first place. Usually, it's because they're

Afraid of failure- they don't want to fail so they don't try. That means your reaction to their work matters. Avoid being too critical and give lots of encouragement.

Don't know how to do it- they get overwhelmed and think that if they can't do it perfectly, they shouldn't do it at all

There are times I asked Adi to finish his sums and he had been putting that off so then when I sat with him to help him I saw the sums were very really difficult for him and he had been getting anxious about them.

Lack of interest- they're just not interested in the task at hand, maybe they are not interested to finish the task at that particular time.

Boredom- the task is too easy or too hard. Sometimes the pattern of assignments can bore kids as they have nothing to try or achieve

Perfectionism- they want to do the task perfectly and feel like anything less is a failure. Again this can come from your expectation from them.

Once we know why they're procrastinating, we can help them overcome it.

Here are some tips:

Encourage Them to Start Small: If your child is overwhelmed by a task, encourage them to break it down into smaller goals. For example, if they have to write a paper, tell them to start with just writing the introduction. Once they've done that, they'll feel a sense of accomplishment and be more likely to keep going.

I do this by breaking down the task into smaller goals for my son and celebrating each time he achieved one. For example, if he had to finish 10 pages of sums, we would break it down into 2 pages a day and once he finished those 2 pages, we would celebrate by playing a game or doing something he enjoyed for 5 minutes. This way, he started to see that finishing his work didn't have to be a punishment and it could actually be fun.

Teach Them to Make a Plan: Help your child make a plan for how they're going to complete their task. This can involve breaking the task down into smaller goals, as well as setting a timeline for when they want to complete each goal. Teaching your child to make a plan will help them feel more in control and less overwhelmed.

Encourage Them to Use a Timer: If your child is having trouble focusing, encourage them to use a timer. Set the timer for a certain amount of time, and tell your child they can take a break once the timer goes off. This will help them stay on task and not get too bogged down with one task.

Find Their Motivation: Try to find what's motivating your child to procrastinate. Is it fear of failure? Lack of interest? Once you know what it is, you can help your child overcome it. For example, if they're afraid of failure, you can encourage them to focus on the process, not the outcome. If they're bored, you can help them find ways to make the task more interesting.

Encourage Them to Seek Help: If your child is struggling with a task, encourage them to seek help. This could involve getting help from a teacher, tutor, or family member. It's important that your child knows it's okay to ask for help and that they're not alone in their struggle. Always talk to them, stay involved.

Help them to identify any distractions: Find out what is distracting your kid while they are working and help them to get rid of it. It could be anything from their phone to the TV. Once they're able to focus, they'll be more likely to get their work done.

My son likes to play video games and I tell him to allot time so that he is not distracted and this helps him.

Encourage them to take breaks-  Small breaks in between work can help to increase productivity. Encourage your child to take a 5-10 minute break after every 20-30 minutes of work. This will help them to avoid burnout and stay focused.

Give them the control- Kids are more likely to procrastinate when they feel like they have no control over their work. Try giving your child more control over their work by letting them choose how they want to do it. For example, if they have to write a paper, let them choose the topic. This will help them to feel more invested in the task and less likely to procrastinate.

I do this for my son also by asking him questions like "What do you think would be the best way to do this?" or "How do you think you can make this more fun for yourself?" This helped him to feel more confident and in control of his work, which made him less likely to procrastinate.

Praise their effort: It's important to praise your child for their effort, even if the task isn't completed perfectly. This will help them to feel good about their work and encourage them to keep trying.

Procrastination is a common problem, but it doesn't have to be a permanent one. With some effort and patience, you can help your child overcome their procrastination and develop healthy habits.

The last tip is the "Eat the Frog Method"- This is a method where you start with the most difficult task first and then move on to the easier tasks. This helps to get the hardest part out of the way and can make the rest of the work seem easier.

This has been working very well for my son. He knows that if he gets his most difficult task done first, the rest of his work will be a breeze. Try this method and see if it works for your child.

Helping your child to overcome procrastination can be a difficult task, but it's one that will pay off in the long run.

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