“Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”- Benjamin Franklin.
Procrastination happens when people put off or avoid doing an important thing. It is among the most significant challenges students face when learning. Procrastination does not always happen due to laziness. Instead, it occurs when students dread or fear completing a challenging task. To get around the negative feelings associated with homework, students engage in activities that make them feel better, at least for a while.
Read on to understand more about why students procrastinate.
Perfectionism:
There is a strong connection between procrastination and perfectionism. Perfectionism can hold students from completing or beginning their projects for fear that they will not do it correctly.
What to do: Talk to your child about embracing who they are and their abilities. Let them know that they don’t need to be perfect. Let them know that all people have and do make mistakes and that the vital thing to do is make gradual improvements. Encourage your child to practice making slight consistent improvements over significant perfected steps and letting them know that you are always ready to help when needed.
Feeling Overwhelmed:
Your child may ignore doing homework or an assignment when they believe it is too complex. Feelings of being overwhelmed also occur when they have several school tasks.
What to do: You should help your child break down assignments into smaller chunks. You can also hire a tutor to help them handle complex tasks if they are beyond your knowledge. Finally, help your child create a planner if they have to handle several assignments.
Distractions:
If your child is distracted by other things such as video games, TV, phone, and friends, it will be hard for them to accomplish their school work on time.
What to do: Create for your child a calm working area that is quiet and favorable for learning. Ensure that their working area is free of any electronics when doing their homework, including TV and cell phones. If the child must use the computer during homework, block their access to social media until they are done with their assignments. The ability to focus makes it possible to complete all school work on time.
Forgetting about the Assignment:
Forgetting to do an assignment, especially among online learners, is common. This action is because students have many information posted on different platforms, making it easy to miss some of them. In addition, teachers online may not give verbal reminders since they don’t physically engage with the students. Forgetting assignments to the last minute can also happen when a student doesn’t have a planner, calendar, or to-do list.
What to do: Proper planning, better time management, and effective communication with teachers can eliminate this mistake.
Lack of Clarity:
Students tend to procrastinate they are not sure about the requirements of an assignment. Most of the students put aside a challenging assignment with the hope of understanding it later. The problem can be more problematic with online learners since they lack enough opportunities to communicate with the teacher. When students are uncertain of an assignment, they either put it off indefinitely or entirely ignore it.
What to do: Encouraging students to ask for help to eliminate this problem.
Lack of Motivation:
Your child can lack motivation for varying reasons. For example, they will not see a need to complete assignments if they don’t understand their value in their lives or are too complex for their understanding. Lack of motivation can also occur if the child focuses on activities other than their education.
What to do: Recognize your child’s effort and reward it. The reward doesn’t have to be huge for your child to feel appreciated. Demonstrate how their school activities crossover and also connects to real life.
Overestimation of Time:
Overestimation is amongst the common reasons for procrastination among students. This behavior is where they feel they have a lot of time ahead of the deadline, only to find out sooner than later that they are out of time. In addition, students may undermine the complexity of an assignment, only to realize when it is too late how involving it was.
What to do: Overestimation of time can be avoided through having a time planner and working with a timetable.
Our Final Thought:
Procrastination has adverse effects both in the classroom and outside. Applying the above remedies will help your child overcome its vice. Homework tutors at Kids on the Yard offers students practical support and help to handle their tasks successfully without procrastinating.
