Procrastination is a tool many children and adolescents use before a dreaded task, be it a household chore or school assignment. "I'll do it later" "...in five minutes" "...after this game" are all common manifestations of procrastination. For most, the task still gets done despite having put it off, maybe just a little later than intended. For others, however, the task never gets done. Homework is left unfinished, assignments are not handed it, and the bedroom remains a mess. All of the above can be frustrating and stressful for everybody involved, including the young person.
The reasons kids procrastinate can vary. Maybe the task is too boring or too difficult, maybe other activities are too engaging to stop, or maybe they don't know how to get started and stay focused until the task is done. Perhaps there is anxiety and perfectionism or there are too many distractions around them. Low self-esteem and self-critical thoughts can also make getting started on a task difficult. The strategies for dealing with procrastination really depend on the reasons for it in the first place. For example, if a child doesn't know how to get started on a large assignment, they might need help breaking the task down into manageable chunks. If anxiety is high, doing some relaxation activities before getting started on homework can sometimes help.
Being curious and having a conversation with your young person about what's making it hard for them to get started can often lead to greater clarity about how to help, fewer arguments, and less stress.