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3 Great Strategies for
Stopping Procrastination This School
Year!
1. Help Your Child Become An
Expert Estimator
Procrastinators classically underestimate how
long it will take them to accomplish a task, and overestimate
how long they have to do it. Even though
most procrastinators swear by their optimistic schedule,
here's a way to help them get a real sense of
time:
○ Ask your
child how long she thinks it will take to
complete an assignment.
○ Jot her reply on the top
corner of her paper.
○ Set a timer and have her begin
working.
○ When finished, record the actual time underneath
the estimated time.
○ Discuss any discrepancy with her,
explaining that the time needed for an assignment can be hard
to predict, so budgeting extra time into her schedule will
help her succeed.
2. Stop Nagging - Make a Homework
Contract
A homework
contract always gets better results than nagging. It's
objective and takes away the emotional strains of those late
nights spent finishing projects. Here's how to
make it work
for your procrastinator:
○Agree on an
exact start time for homework.
○Choose privilege/rewards
for adhering to contract.
○Identify
consequences for failing to live up to the
agreement.
○Post contract
in a visible location.
○Stick to the
contract!
3. Break Down Long
Term Projects
Large
projects that aren't due for several weeks are classic
procrastinator traps. Here's how to help your child
break down large tasks into incremental due
dates:
o Upon receiving the assignment pull out
a monthly calendar.
o Record the final due
date on the calendar.
o
Record a start date with a first step (gather
materials, choose topic, go to library and research,
etc).
o Record tasks in concrete and specific
terms. “Write rough
draft,” becomes “Write thesis and 2 paragraphs,” “Study for
test,” becomes “Review and recite material from the first
quiz”.
o Keep the calendar in a
plastic page protector so it isn’t mistakenly thrown away or
lost. Place a copy in the front
section of your child’s binder for easy access.
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