You try to work around it. You may even enable it, but sooner or later you can see that your teen’s procrastination could hold them back in life. Don’t procrastinate addressing your teen’s procrastination problem! This is a problem which can negatively impact your child’s future personal and professional life!
Procrastination is often caused by a desire to do things perfectly. The self-talk goes something like this: “If I can’t do this task perfectly, I will wait. If I just research more, have more time, or feel better prepared, I will be able to do this task better later on.”
If not driven by perfectionism, your teen may be suffering from an impulse control issue. The self-talk could be: “I know that I need to get my homework done but I really want to watch this show, check out Facebook, or play just play just one video game” (yeah, right!).
Some kids feel overwhelmed. They don’t know where to begin any project, how to prioritize, or finish tasks. Their self-talk is something like: “I have so much to do. I don’t even know where to begin. So, I choose to do nothing. Maybe this will go away.”
How can procrastination affect personal relationships? Well, if you put off your responsibilities around the house, whoever is living with you will not really appreciate it. This is characterized by piles of laundry everywhere, personal possessions strewn throughout the house, bills not paid on time, not having anything in the fridge to eat, and general chaos. It may also manifest itself by missing dates or meetings with friends or waiting to the last minute before buying a gift or acknowledging a special occasion in someone else’s life. You do not score any points in a relationship if you procrastinate and do not show that you value the relationship.
In the professional realm, procrastination is rarely tolerated. Procrastination on the job manifests itself in missed deadlines, hurried last minute attempts to pull projects together, not getting to certain projects, and maybe even a problem with punctuality at work. Procrastination can lead to missed promotions, opportunities, and perhaps getting fired.
Procrastination can cause undue stress and hold your child back in life, but you can take steps to help your child if he or she shows signs of being prone to this type of self-limiting behavior. Download this week’s cheat sheet on “Putting an End to Procrastination” and help your teens realize their potential.
Call for a complimentary session with experienced educator and life coach, Kathleen Matchunis. Tel. 954- 294 -9708 Website: www.connectinginc.net and check us out on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/ConnectingInc/
