Procrastination is one thing that is common in all the teens across the globe. No matter how important or trivial a task may be, the first reaction of a teen would be to do it later. Lately, it has become something that is just a normal way of saying that the thing will be done, but the underlying reason behind this is the lack of time.
The teens often struggle with managing their time and get overwhelmed with the amount of work they’re expected to do in a day’s time. Here’s how you can help them prepare themselves :
Explain the process
Tell them that if they start utilizing their time optimally, they will never run out of it, no matter how many things they plan to do in a day. Tell them that prioritizing, scheduling and making a routine will help them now and forever and will also make them systematic as adults, helping them cope with the madding life better. Start by making plans with them and model how it is done for them.
Prioritizing
The plan actually starts with prioritizing the activities on a job list. Make them put all their plans for the day on a list and start by arranging them in the order of their importance. The things that are supposed to be done immediately, will be on the top and things that have an adjustable deadline, can be put later. Then ask them to stick to the job list no matter what. They can also keep adding more plans as the day proceeds. This will help them in finding out what needs to be done when and they will be able to keep a track of their progress and the pace at which they need to do a job.
Scheduling
This is where they will learn to divide their time impartially to things on the job list. Tell them to be fair and give the right amount of time to a particular thing. They should always try and strike a balance so that they are able to finish their job list in the given time. Things like playing and going out with friends cannot take over the time given to the other jobs, and studying and other important jobs cannot be ignored.
Make a routine
With the help of a job list, the teen will be able to learn to live by a routine. This will make him/her systematic and more disciplined in life and will help him/her plan better. Also, this will help in reducing the frustration of never being able to meet deadlines and being unable to give time to things he/she really wants to do. Making a routine will keep their sleep cycle and everything else in check and will help the parents in keeping their child’s health in check too. This routine will not only make him/her efficient but will also help them improve their performance as they will focus on only one thing at a time.
Teens often struggle while making plans and shy away from asking the older people to help them, thinking that they will be reprimanded. Go help your kid whenever you find them struggling with a deadline and explain them the logic behind following the right schedule. They may still falter a couple of times, but that is only because they’re taking that time to learn things and get better at them. Support them through this and help them become a more disciplined individual, early in their lives.
