General Information

Procrastination can have a lot of causes, some of which include stress, anxiety and burnout. In my experience however, the most common form of procrastination stems from an insecurity about the task at hand. When faced with a task your child feels comfortable with, they tend to do it swiftly and with confidence. When the task feels overwhelming, or the material is new to them, they have the tendency to put it off to a later stage. This in turn causes them to leave their work to the last minute and they will ultimately end up finding academics stressful. 

Introduce a schedule:

In order to break the cycle of procrastination, regulating their schedule is key: if they have regulated homework time and are held accountable for their work and progress, they are more likely to attempt a task they feel challenged by. Helping them to set earlier deadlines for their tasks allows for them to feel more confident in their work and it gives time for review and correction. 

Show interest in their work:

If you regularly follow up on their school work, by asking them how their day was or doing homework control, they are held more accountable for their own work and you send the message that school is important. How will you motivate them to show interest in their work, if you do not show interest in their work?

Hold them accountable:

Do not criticize their teacher in front of your children. Whether you agree or disagree with your teachers methods, either take it up with them directly, or leave it be. Once you complain about the teacher or the school to your child, you give them an excuse not to perform. If a teacher is unqualified, or uses a methodology that does not speak to your child, it is important for your child to learn to work around it and still complete the tasks assigned to them. 

Procrastination can have a lot of causes, some of which include stress, anxiety and burnout. In my experience however, the most common form of procrastination stems from an insecurity about the task at hand. When faced with a task your child feels comfortable with, they tend to do it swiftly and with confidence. When the task feels overwhelming, or the material is new to them, they have the tendency to put it off to a later stage. This in turn causes them to leave their work to the last minute and they will ultimately end up finding academics stressful. 

Introduce a schedule:

In order to break the cycle of procrastination, regulating their schedule is key: if they have regulated homework time and are held accountable for their work and progress, they are more likely to attempt a task they feel challenged by. Helping them to set earlier deadlines for their tasks allows for them to feel more confident in their work and it gives time for review and correction. 

Show interest in their work:

If you regularly follow up on their school work, by asking them how their day was or doing homework control, they are held more accountable for their own work and you send the message that school is important. How will you motivate them to show interest in their work, if you do not show interest in their work?

Hold them accountable:

Do not criticize their teacher in front of your children. Whether you agree or disagree with your teachers methods, either take it up with them directly, or leave it be. Once you complain about the teacher or the school to your child, you give them an excuse not to perform. If a teacher is unqualified, or uses a methodology that does not speak to your child, it is important for your child to learn to work around it and still complete the tasks assigned to them. 

What is a token economy?

A token economy is a reward system you can use for children of most ages. 

It is not punitive. When the child does something he/she is supposed to do, he/she earns a token, if he/she does not do it, he/she earns no token, if the child is actively defiant, tokens can be revoked. 

Turning “shoulds” into “want to’s”:

Type Effect now Effect Later Example

Shouldn’ts Good now Bad later Drugs/Alcohol

Want-To’s Good now Good later A Hobby

Should’s Bad now Good later Studying/Exercising

Don’t want to’s Bad now Bad later Touching Fire

By offering a reward for doing a chore or studying, you turn a “should” into a “want to”, thus motivating your child into performing the action. 

Advantages of a Token Economy: 

• Turns Shoulds into want to’s

• Instills accountability

• You are no longer the bad guy

• It is consistent

• Children take fewer chances

• It is fair

• Children take ownership for the system

• Children can redeem themselves

      Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Make Bed ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ 

Brush Teeth

Be Ready for School on Time

Write Down Homework ✔ ✔ ✔ 

Make Notes in Class

Complete Homework ✔ ✔ ✔ 

Make Summaries

Pack School Bag ✔ ✔ 

Do the Dishes

Cook Dinner

Clean The Room ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ 

Clean the Yard

Feed the Dogs/Cats/etc.

Make Coffee/Bring Drink ✔ 

Clear the Dinner Table

Shower ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ 

Iron Clothes

Wash Socks ✔   ✔ ✔      

Each task can be assigned different amounts of tokens, depending on the effort that goes into completing the task. 

Tokens can be traded for:

• Money

• Screen time

• Quality time with family

• Quality time with friends

• Anything that motivates your child

You can add an extra Layer:

Every day, you can set a target, for example, 80% of the available tokens for the day and if they do not achieve this target, they lose privileges the next day. 

For instance, if you do not get ⅘ tokens for the day, tomorrow you hand in your cell phone. 

The next day, they can earn their privileges back, by obtaining 80% of the targets.

Involve your children:

• Include your children in the reward system

• Decide as a family what tokens are worth

• Let them help you decide what tokens can be traded for

What to use as tokens:

• The more durable, the better!

• Monopoly money

• Buttons

• Printed and laminated cutouts

Use it as the currency in your house!

If you borrow money from your children, use a token as a promise to pay them back! It instills trust that you will not forget to pay them back. 

Procrastination is more than just poor time management. It can be a symptom or coping mechanism linked to learning disabilities, anxiety, and depression. Below is an outline showing how procrastination presents in each context, what causes it, and how it affects learning:

In the Context of Learning Disabilities

o   Tasks feel overwhelming or frustrating due to challenges with reading, writing, memory, or organization.

o   Students may avoid tasks to escape failure, embarrassment, or mental fatigue.

o   Difficulties with executive functioning (planning, task initiation, working memory) make it hard to get started.

In the Context of Anxiety

o   Fear of making mistakes or not being good enough leads to avoidance behaviour.

o   Tasks become associated with worry, perfectionism, or performance pressure.

o   “If I delay it, I won’t fail yet” becomes a subconscious coping mechanism.

In the Context of Depression

o   Low energy, motivation, and concentration make starting tasks feel impossible.

o   Feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness may lead to giving up before trying.

o   Even simple tasks can feel overwhelming.

Common Patterns Across All Three:

o   Avoidance as a coping strategy.

o   Task paralysis: the inability to start due to emotional or cognitive overload.

o   Negative self-talk: “I’m lazy,” “I can’t do this,” “I’ll just fail anyway”.

Academic Impact:

o   Incomplete or late assignments.

o   Poor performance due to last-minute work.

o   Reinforces low academic self-esteem.

o   Increased stress closer to deadlines.

o   Cycles of guilt and panic.

o   Potential underachievement despite high ability.

o   Missed deadlines and lower grades.

o   Withdrawal from school activities.

Introduce a schedule:

In order to break the cycle of procrastination, regulating their schedule is key: if they have regulated homework time and are held accountable for their work and progress, they are more likely to attempt a task they feel challenged by. Helping them to set earlier deadlines for their tasks allows for them to feel more confident in their work and it gives time for review and correction. 

Show interest in their work:

If you regularly follow up on their school work, by asking them how their day was or doing homework control, they are held more accountable for their own work and you send the message that school is important. How will you motivate them to show interest in their work, if you do not show interest in their work?

Hold them accountable:

Do not criticize their teacher in front of your children. Whether you agree or disagree with your teachers methods, either take it up with them directly, or leave it be. Once you complain about the teacher or the school to your child, you give them an excuse not to perform. If a teacher is unqualified, or uses a methodology that does not speak to your child, it is important for your child to learn to work around it and still complete the tasks assigned to them. 

Procrastination can have a lot of causes, some of which include stress, anxiety and burnout. In my experience however, the most common form of procrastination stems from an insecurity about the task at hand. When faced with a task your child feels comfortable with, they tend to do it swiftly and with confidence. When the task feels overwhelming, or the material is new to them, they have the tendency to put it off to a later stage. This in turn causes them to leave their work to the last minute and they will ultimately end up finding academics stressful. 

Introduce a schedule:

In order to break the cycle of procrastination, regulating their schedule is key: if they have regulated homework time and are held accountable for their work and progress, they are more likely to attempt a task they feel challenged by. Helping them to set earlier deadlines for their tasks allows for them to feel more confident in their work and it gives time for review and correction. 

Show interest in their work:

If you regularly follow up on their school work, by asking them how their day was or doing homework control, they are held more accountable for their own work and you send the message that school is important. How will you motivate them to show interest in their work, if you do not show interest in their work?

Hold them accountable:

Do not criticize their teacher in front of your children. Whether you agree or disagree with your teachers methods, either take it up with them directly, or leave it be. Once you complain about the teacher or the school to your child, you give them an excuse not to perform. If a teacher is unqualified, or uses a methodology that does not speak to your child, it is important for your child to learn to work around it and still complete the tasks assigned to them. 

Procrastination can have a lot of causes, some of which include stress, anxiety and burnout. In my experience however, the most common form of procrastination stems from an insecurity about the task at hand. When faced with a task your child feels comfortable with, they tend to do it swiftly and with confidence. When the task feels overwhelming, or the material is new to them, they have the tendency to put it off to a later stage. This in turn causes them to leave their work to the last minute and they will ultimately end up finding academics stressful. 

Introduce a schedule:

In order to break the cycle of procrastination, regulating their schedule is key: if they have regulated homework time and are held accountable for their work and progress, they are more likely to attempt a task they feel challenged by. Helping them to set earlier deadlines for their tasks allows for them to feel more confident in their work and it gives time for review and correction. 

Show interest in their work:

If you regularly follow up on their school work, by asking them how their day was or doing homework control, they are held more accountable for their own work and you send the message that school is important. How will you motivate them to show interest in their work, if you do not show interest in their work?

Hold them accountable:

Do not criticize their teacher in front of your children. Whether you agree or disagree with your teachers methods, either take it up with them directly, or leave it be. Once you complain about the teacher or the school to your child, you give them an excuse not to perform. If a teacher is unqualified, or uses a methodology that does not speak to your child, it is important for your child to learn to work around it and still complete the tasks assigned to them. 

Procrastination can have a lot of causes, some of which include stress, anxiety and burnout. In my experience however, the most common form of procrastination stems from an insecurity about the task at hand. When faced with a task your child feels comfortable with, they tend to do it swiftly and with confidence. When the task feels overwhelming, or the material is new to them, they have the tendency to put it off to a later stage. This in turn causes them to leave their work to the last minute and they will ultimately end up finding academics stressful. 

Introduce a schedule:

In order to break the cycle of procrastination, regulating their schedule is key: if they have regulated homework time and are held accountable for their work and progress, they are more likely to attempt a task they feel challenged by. Helping them to set earlier deadlines for their tasks allows for them to feel more confident in their work and it gives time for review and correction. 

Show interest in their work:

If you regularly follow up on their school work, by asking them how their day was or doing homework control, they are held more accountable for their own work and you send the message that school is important. How will you motivate them to show interest in their work, if you do not show interest in their work?

Hold them accountable:

Do not criticize their teacher in front of your children. Whether you agree or disagree with your teachers methods, either take it up with them directly, or leave it be. Once you complain about the teacher or the school to your child, you give them an excuse not to perform. If a teacher is unqualified, or uses a methodology that does not speak to your child, it is important for your child to learn to work around it and still complete the tasks assigned to them. 

When you are taught that 1+1=2, but you are never challenged beyond this point, you will only know that 1+1=2. If however, you are taught that 1+1=2 and 2+2=4, you may be able to figure out what 3+3 is. Our Zone of Proximal Development is the area of challenge, in which we grow. If you are never challenged, you will not grow, but if you are challenged too much, you will feel incapable and you might give up, instead of learning. 

This is why lesson planning and pacing is so important. If you go too slow, kids will get bored, if you move too fast, you lose them. But what can YOU as a parent do with this information?

If your child is in an overcrowded class, the teacher may not be able to move within your child's Zone. This will either result in your child not studying, because they think they already know the work, or they might not understand the work at all. Homework is a good place to test, whether the child understands the work. It is also a great opportunity to push them along more and more difficult exercises, until they meet their limit of understanding. It also provides opportunity for your child to work at their own pace. Encourage them to complete all of their homework, every day, in order for you to be able to see where they stand. 

This allows for the teacher to gauge which work needs repeating, but it also gives you as a parent a better idea where your child's areas of difficulty lie. Once these are identified, intervention can be implemented: you can get them extra classes, have them explain their work to you, instruct your child to ask the teacher for guidance or attend learner support classes. Good performance in school does not have to cost money!

Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by prolonged or chronic stress, most often related to work, school, or caregiving roles. It happens when the demands placed on you consistently outweigh your ability to cope or recover. Learners in modern education systems can experience burnout due to the rising academic pressures.

Emotional Exhaustion

o   Feeling drained, fatigued, or overwhelmed.

o   No energy left for daily tasks.

o   Struggling to recover even after rest.

Depersonalization / Cynicism

o   Feeling detached or indifferent toward work or people.

o   Increased irritability, sarcasm, or negativity.

o   Loss of compassion or enthusiasm (especially in helping professions).

Reduced Personal Accomplishment

o   Feeling ineffective or like your efforts don’t matter.

o   Doubting your skills or competence.

o   Low motivation and declining performance.

Common Signs of Burnout:

o   Chronic fatigue or sleep problems.

o   Headaches, stomach issues, or lowered immunity.

o   Withdrawing from responsibilities or social interactions.

o   Dreading work or school.

o   Using food, alcohol, or other substances to cope.

o   Loss of interest in things once enjoyed.

Causes of Burnout:

o   Work overload (too much to do, too little time)

o   Lack of control (over tasks, time, or environment)

o   Unclear job expectations

o   Lack of support (from supervisors, coworkers, or family)

o   Work-life imbalance

o   Perfectionism or unrealistic expectations

Self-efficacy, or the belief in one’s ability to achieve specific goals, plays a pivotal role in academic performance. Students with high self-efficacy approach challenges with confidence, resilience, and a proactive mindset. They tend to persevere in the face of obstacles, viewing setbacks as opportunities to grow rather than as indicators of failure. Conversely, low self-efficacy can hinder performance, as students may avoid challenges, doubt their abilities, or give up too easily.

One way to nurture self-efficacy in students is through scaffolding: providing temporary, supportive structures that guide learners as they develop their skills and confidence. Parents and tutors can play a crucial role in this process by:

1. Setting Achievable Goals: Breaking complex tasks into manageable steps helps students experience success at each stage, reinforcing their belief in their abilities.

2. Offering Constructive Feedback: Encouragement and specific, actionable feedback help students identify their strengths and areas for growth without diminishing their confidence.

3. Modeling and Coaching: Demonstrating strategies for problem-solving or study techniques provides a roadmap for students to follow, empowering them to tackle similar challenges independently.

4. Fostering a Growth Mindset: Praising effort and perseverance rather than innate talent encourages students to view intelligence and skills as malleable.

As students gradually master tasks with the help of scaffolding, their self-efficacy grows, enabling them to tackle increasingly complex challenges on their own. This cycle of support and independence not only enhances academic performance but also equips students with lifelong skills for learning and problem-solving.

By combining belief in one’s abilities with the right guidance, students can unlock their full potential and thrive in any academic environment.

Social problems at school can seriously affect academic performance by increasing stress, reducing focus, lowering motivation, or damaging a student’s self-esteem and emotional well-being. These problems often intersect with mental health and behaviour, and their effects can be long-lasting if not addressed.

Bullying and Peer Victimization

o   Leads to anxiety, fear, depression, or avoidance of school.

o   Affects concentration and self-confidence.

o   May result in absenteeism or dropping out.

Social Exclusion or Isolation

o   Students who feel lonely or left out may become withdrawn.

o   Can lead to low participation, loss of motivation, or emotional distress.

o   Especially common for students with disabilities or learning differences.

Peer Pressure

o   May push students into skipping class, cheating, or misbehaving.

o   Can cause stress and distract from academic priorities.

o   In some cases, may result in substance abuse or risky behaviour.

Cultural or Language Barriers

o   Immigrant, refugee, or minority students may feel marginalized or misunderstood.

o   Can result in reduced participation, identity conflict, or fear of speaking up.

o   Language difficulties can isolate students socially and academically.

Family or Community Issues That Spill into School Life

o   Violence, neglect, or instability at home affects relationships at school.

o   Students may act out, withdraw, or be chronically distracted.

Labelling and Stigmatization

o   Students who are labelled as “troublemakers,” “slow,” or “different” may internalize negative beliefs.

o   Can lower academic self-concept and increase disengagement.

How These Social Problems Affect Academics:

o   Reduced focus and concentration.

o   Increased anxiety, stress, or depression.

o   Poor class attendance or school refusal.

o   Lower academic motivation and performance.

o   Difficulty with group work or classroom participation.

Executive functioning refers to a set of mental skills that help us manage our thoughts, actions, and emotions to achieve goals. These skills control planning, decision-making, focus, and self-regulation. Strong executive functioning is essential for success in school, work, and everyday life.

Executive Functioning Skills

o   Working Memory: Holding information in mind while using it, like remembering instructions or math steps.

o   Inhibitory Control (Impulse Control): Thinking before acting and resisting distractions

o   Cognitive Flexibility: Switching between tasks or ideas and adapting to change or solving problems in new ways

o   Planning and Organization: breaking tasks into steps, managing time.

o   Task Initiation: starting work without excessive delay.

o   Time Management: estimating time accurately and staying on schedule.

o   Goal-Directed Persistence: pushing through setbacks to complete a task.

o   Emotional Regulation: managing frustration, disappointment, or anxiety.

Development and Conditions Linked to Executive Dysfunction:

Executive functions develop from early childhood into early adulthood (prefrontal cortex).

o   ADHD

o   Autism Spectrum Disorder

o   Learning disabilities

o   Traumatic brain injury

o   Anxiety or depression