Procrastination in teenagers

By Moosa Syed


One of the biggest obstacles that prevent teenagers from reaching their full potential is procrastination. Let’s define procrastination before proceeding; according to the Oxford dictionary, procrastination is the concept of delaying or postponing something. It is often confused with laziness which is false. Laziness suggests feelings of apathy or unwillingness to act, whereas procrastination is an active process - one may choose to do something else instead of the task they know they should be doing.

Procrastination occurs commonly in teens among different parts of their lives, mostly with tasks outside their desire. A commonly accepted actuality is that we procrastinate on tasks that we find unpleasant, difficult, or just too boring. It is easier to avoid a task than to begin working on it if it provokes feelings of anxiety or overwhelmingness. For some the cause maybe a low self-esteem. The thought of not doing something right can keep a person from attempting to execute a task at all.

It is theorized that there exist 3 types of procrastinators - thrill seekers, people who push things last minute because they believe they work best under pressure; avoiders, people who procrastinate due to the fear of being judged for their performance; and indecisive ones, who have an issue managing their time and delay their decisions to work on something constantly. Which category do you think you fit in? Regardless, procrastination can be helped.

To solve an issue, we must recognize it first and accept that this is an issue you’re facing. Then you must recognize why you are procrastinating. If you find something too difficult or boring, it’s best to get it out of the way as soon as possible so you can do stuff you find more enjoyable. It may also be due to perfectionism because one may spend too much time perfecting a task than actually getting it done. Mismanagement is also a very common cause because one may not be decisive or wise about their time. The causes might be infinite and more complex as well but identifying a few of them will bring you another step closer to not procrastinating.

Now that you’ve accepted and recognized your causes for procrastination, you can now implement Anti-Procrastination strategies in your daily life. These may be:
  • Forgiving yourself for procrastinating in the past
  • Keeping a reward system for yourself
  • Using peer pressure but in a good way, ask someone to remind you constantly that you might be procrastinating
  • Do not leave a task for tomorrow
  • Minimize distractions during work
  • Keep a to do list
  • Last but not least, don’t be so hard on yourself. Give yourself off days.

    • If you find yourself procrastinating then it is important to begin working on it as soon as possible so it doesn’t develop and strengthen as an habit. It’s nothing that can’t be helped.