Procrastination Among Students

Why do students put off an important work until the last minute? Despite of what some parents might say, it’s not because they are lazy, just don’t want to do the work, or because they have a bad work ethic.

Kids often put value on what is happening today than what will happen tomorrow. This can make working on homework and assignments is something they push off until they absolutely have to. Moreover, some of them really dislike the idea of doing schoolwork at home. By learning more about the causes and effects of procrastination, hopefully we can help our students to avoid procrastinating, so they become the better, self-motivated learners.

Students often procrastinate because they don’t see how a project is relevant or important to them, don’t understand the material, or just don’t know how to get started. Most of the times procrastination has very little thing to do with laziness of a lack of caring. Things that might cause procrastination, include; lack of motivation, low self-confidence, fear of failure, lack of understanding, trouble concentrating, perfectionism, low energy levels and poor organization skills.

Procrastination might have negative effect on students’ schoolwork, grades, and even their overall health. In a long term, students who procrastinate until the last minute tend to receive lower grades than their peers. This can create a cycle of bad grades and low self-confidence that can be difficult for students to overcome.

Here are some tips to help the students beat the temptation to procrastinate and start being more productive.

1. Make The Work Meaningful

Finding ways to make a project meaningful and relevant for students helps them connect it to their interests and gives them motivation to get started. Relate it to something they are interested in or a real-world scenario; this can help make homework and assignments less like work and a bit interesting.

• Build up Their Confidence

Some children procrastinate because they are afraid to fail or think they can’t live up to expectations. Pointing out their efforts of past achievements can help them developing a more attitude toward work and making it easier to get started.

• Create A Dedicated Study Space

Without a proper study space, children can become distracted by everything going on around them – something that can lead to a procrastination situation. To avoid this, create a proper space where they can sit and work each day. Make sure that it also has all materials they will need, including pencils, paper, erasers.

• Eat Healthy and Get Enough Sleep

Healthy eating and sleeping habits can help increase the amount of energy the children have, as well as their brainpower and focus – as the things they need to perform their best at school. Get them into a regular sleep routine and stick to a set bedtime each night. Help them pack their lunch or snack with healthy options.

• Set Clear Goals

Fear of failure and perfectionism are major causes of procrastination, and can be difficult for many students to get over. Showing them clear and realistic goals will help out to manage expectations as well as to track their progress. Let them know that sometimes it’s okay to fail and treat it as a lesson for next time.

• Make A Nice Plan and Stick To It

Create a schedule while setting dedicated “homework time” that they can use to work on schoolwork each day. When bigger projects are assigned, help them to make a project plan of attack that they can follow, as early as possible. Set mini project due dates or milestones that children can aim for. This will break down the assignment, making big projects seem more manageable.

• Develop Good Study Skills

Help the children improve their study skills by focusing on the learning process – not just their grades. Getting a good grade is the goal, but it is good study skills that will help them achieve it. Encourage active thinking and critical problem-solving skills by talking through any challenges they are facing and working out a solution together.

Helping students to improve their learning skills and develop motivation for their work are the keys to helping them complete homework and assignments on time, reduce school stress and put an end to procrastination for good.