"I'll do it tomorrow" : Procrastinator

Yesterday I found my mom reading an article on why teens procrastinate. Now mom has joined a ton of teen parenting groups and loves to quote a certain Facebook page that claims to be know-it-al on teen parenting. This recent article stirred some dinner table debate on procrastination.

Now of course I supported why procrastination is not all unhealthy. I sometimes work better for deadlines and feel more driven if I have one. Also, my brain works faster near deadlines. That being said, I am a bit of a planner so I do start my work when assignments are given. I revise and revise and am not happy till it's perfect. Though I do submit it around the deadline as I worry I may have another good idea!

So procrastination is not always about distracted teens who are avoiding doing work. In fact, there are different types of procrastinators. I recently read a blog about 6 types of teen procrastinators:

1. The Distracted

2. The Perfectionist

3. The Avoider

4. The Dreamer

5. The Crisis Maker

6. The Busy Bee

See there are reasons, maybe you have too much on your plate, or maybe you are a perfectionist like me, or maybe you are distracted by something more interesting.

A scientific review of the literature found that adolescent academic procrastination is related to self-regulation, self-efficacy, motivation, perfectionism, and parenting. Of course, smartphones and online gaming have been implicated as the major distractors.

Well, we live ina world where we cant avoid these completely. but I found a good read and wanted to share with you all.

Here are some tips that you may find useful.

Awareness: The First Step

Try to understand the REASONS WHY you procrastinate and the function procrastination serves in your life.

Time Management Techniques

Don't overwhelm yourself with tedious and detailed planners, but instead set reasonable goals, break big tasks down, and try to be flexible. Writing big goals down and using a Google calendar helps me get through my tasks.

Find your Motivation

Write down your own personal reason for doing the particular thing Not what the teacher wants or is expected, but what you want to do it. That's what will be the drive to get things done!

Staying Motivated

Now this last one is what I find sometimes the most difficult. For whatever reason keeping that fire and drive is what's the most difficult. My way around it is writing my "WHY" on a sheet of paper, however stupid that reason may be, but what motivates me? I look at that anytime I fall off the rail. So remind yourself of your own special reason and that never seems to fail. For instance this particular blog project, my special reason is I wanted to not accept knowledge passively given to me as I was luckily born to 2 physicians who knew a lot about health based on their education. I wanted to find my own active learning path and not some passive knowledge told to me. I enjoy the reading, the reasoning, what's out there in scientific publications, and what experts say. Finally, I have a way to form my own opinion, unbiased.

I hope these blogs spark that in you and I hope they set you on your own journey to explore more. If you wish to submit an article for something you want to share, then reach out to me through my Instagram @IntegrativeYouthHealth

Biblio:

1.Shuai Xu. Academic Procrastination of Adolescents: A Brief Review of the Literature, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences. Volume 10, Issue 6, December 2021 , pp. 198-208. doi: 10.11648/j.pbs.20211006.12

2. https://raisingteenstoday.com/types-of-procrastinators-which-one-is-your-teen/

3.https://mcgraw.princeton.edu/undergraduates/resources/resource-library/understanding-and-overcoming-procrastination