Student procrastination is a problem that teachers, tutors, parents, and the youth themselves are facing all over the world. Do you know about that urge to leave your academic work and assignments for last-minute deadlines, even if you have plenty of time to complete it? Yes, that is procrastination!
It is indeed a complicated problem, and it is even harder to overcome procrastination, but not impossible. Every student has a coping mechanism when it comes to dealing with their procrastination; all they need to do is identify it.
If you are a student who is procrastinating or a tutor or teacher who wants to help their students beat procrastination, you have landed at the right place!
In this post, we are going to explain mainly why students procrastinate, how it affects them, and most importantly, how can you and the student itself stop it. Keep Reading!
From high school students to college students, procrastination is common at every level. But the question is, “Why is this happening?” Understanding the root causes of why a student is procrastinating helps to stop procrastination. Don’t worry; we have compiled a list of some root causes and underlying reasons for procrastination. Read on!
Lack of motivation is one of the most significant reasons why students procrastinate. 60% of high school students procrastinate because they don’t feel motivated to complete their school work. Why? Well, because there are motivating rewards for them right now.
Stress and anxiety are the main culprits that make people procrastinate, especially students. According to research, most college students procrastinate because they are suffering from extreme stress or anxiety-related issues. Obviously, how can someone focus with so many negative feelings?
Another reason for procrastination among students is poor time management skills and knowledge. Sometimes, students do want to complete and finish their tasks promptly, but they are unable to plan and manage their time accordingly.
Let’s be realistic here; the extreme workload of schools and colleges lead students to tiredness and exhaustion. And this exhaustion further leads them to procrastination. Now obviously, if their mind and body are exhausted, how are they going to concentrate on their school, deadlines, and homework?
Lastly, low self-esteem and lack of confidence are the major causes of a student’s procrastination. There can be a lot of reasons for this: no motivation, fear of failure, stress, anxiety, overwhelming expectations from parents, or constant lower grades.
Task aversion happens when you are intentionally procrastinating and avoiding assignments or homework because of the following reasons:
No matter what the reason is, you are still giving fuel to your procrastination.
Self-handicapping is a situation where the student procrastinates willingly to hide his inabilities and later blames the failure on procrastination. This reason for procrastination is not common and people don’t often do it, but it is still a condition.
People self-sabotage themselves willingly or unwillingly at some point, but here, we are talking about self-sabotaging by will. Again, there can be a lot of reasons for this; mental health issues, hindering your success, or lack of self-love and motivation.
The reasons and effects of procrastinating are somehow the same and linked with each other. Now obviously, procrastination causes a lot of negative effects on students. Their schoolwork and assignments are never completed, their grades keep going down, they are always behind in class, and they aren’t able to progress.
Moreover, procrastinating can make them feel frustrated, stressed, and tense all the time. Why? Well, because they haven’t completed their homework, they aren’t ready to focus and complete it, but they need to complete it.
In worst cases, procrastination can lead to serious anxiety and stress-related issues. Eventually, anxiety will lead you to have lower self-esteem & self-confidence, and fear of failure. All these things combined will make you procrastinate even more and this will become a vicious cycle.
If you want your students to stop procrastinating, you should do everything in your power to help them. Similarly, if you are a student and you want to avoid procrastinating, you will need to work for that.
There are two types of people that can stop students to procrastinate. The first type is the students themselves, and the second one is their tutors, teachers, or parents. Below, we are going to share tips that will help both these groups of people in overcoming procrastination.
Here are a few simple yet effective ways that students can use themselves for overcoming procrastination:
Next, if you are a parent, tutor, or teacher and want your students to stop procrastinating, here are a few effective tips for you:
Trying to help your students overcome procrastination is a sign that you are a good and concerned teacher/tutor. And if you stay dedicated and follow the steps we mentioned above, we are sure your student will get rid of procrastination and progress in their academic life!