What's behind procrastination?
So, what to do?
It’s understandable that having those ideas get “closer in the mirror” and “stare you in the face” would cause feelings of uncertainty, overwhelm, confusion, doubt or worry, which may easily lead to actions of hesitancy in the best and locking yourself in your room and playing video games at worst.
Published at Tue, 29 Aug 2017 05:22:11 +0000
There are just two quotes that I live by when it comes to application season:
The first step is to admit the behavior. I love this word, admit, because there are no “assumptions” built in, just curiosity and noticing. Questions are great for this because they encourage conversation. Once you ask, “did you study for the ACT”, you receive either a yes or no answer and there’s nowhere to go. Asking “how’s the ACT test prep going” invites more input and might uncover where or how your child could be stuck.
a. It makes the abstract, concrete
When my other favorite quote comes into play, that’s:
C. It helps us recognize when we’re stuck
b. It creates urgency
-Napoleon Hill
Like we do not know this already, there is a whole lot of stress and pressure associated with applying to college, even BEFORE you begin the process. The uncertainty of what to expect, the choice of major (and implication of considering your future), and the biggest one — what if I do not get in?
I'll get back to you tomorrow
The next step, is to ask a few follow up questions that can help them think about what is going to help them to get “unstuck” such as: “What do you need to take the next step?” .
Being stuck can look a lot like procrastination. But while the actions may look the same, the reasons behind them can be very different.
It is fun to see the action escalate as soon as they have the clarity and accountability of what they need to do and when.
Believe me, there is far more to procrastination than meets the eye — particularly during application season. To paraphrase a line from my favorite movie, Princess Bride:
While this is crucial in most any opportunity for planning and execution, it is extremely important throughout the college application process, for a number of reasons. Having my students create their own timelines and systems makes it more real and helps them to take responsibility for the process, a skill that will help them now and in their college career.
I apt to point out that they could not have gotten without beginning the process stuck. It means they took the steps, where they want to go and set a date and time to get there, identified.
Procrastination? I don’t think it reflects what you think it signifies.
“WARNING — deadlines in mirror are much closer than they appear” – Anonymous
Each one describes the benefits of having deadlines:
“Deadlines aren’t real to me until I’m staring them in the face” — Rick Riordan
However, what happens when the action stops? Is that? Or are they stuck? And to tell the difference?
Each time I’ve used these two questions with my students it’s resulted in a Number of responses that have covered the entire spectrum, from helping them to understand the value of not taking on too many shifts at work to having a comprehensive conversation about how the uncertainty of not knowing what’s next can also be an opportunity for a huge adventure.
That is where the quotes above take on an entirely new meaning.
Source: TPD College Admissions Feed
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