What to do if your child does everything last minute

There’s often a reason why people are chronically late. It may be helpful to find out whether something’s causing your child to always wait till the eleventh hour. Try asking them the following questions:

• Is there a person or situation you’d prefer to avoid at school?
• Do you feel like you perform better under pressure?
• How important is [school, homework, friends, etc.] to you?
• If you could do anything other than this task, what would it be?
• How does always being pressed for time make you feel?
• Etc.

Always waiting until the last minute significantly increases the risk of being late and causes all kinds of other inconveniences. To help your child understand how much more peace of mind they’d have if they could shed this bad habit, ask them to list its drawbacks. Here are some examples:

• You’re more likely to forget things
• When you’re rushed, it’s harder for your brain to store information
• You cause yourself unnecessary stress
• You’re more likely to show up late to class and disrupt everyone
• You risk getting a below-average grade
• Etc.

Some kids have trouble judging how much time they need to complete a given task. As a result, they start too late or have to rush to get everything done. To help your child develop this skill, have them time or estimate how long it takes to get through each of their tasks, and then determine which one should’ve been done first.

You can then suggest that they record their results in a table so they can plan their work better in the future.

To put an end to their pattern of lateness, your child will need to learn how to manage their time. You can help by offering the following strategies:

• Aim to complete assignments slightly ahead of time
• Use your agenda
• Use the family calendar
• Make a work schedule
• Set priorities
• Use a timer
• Split work into smaller tasks
• Etc.

To help your child persevere and stick to their good habits, it’s important to recognize their efforts. Here are some ways to do this: 

• Tell them you’re proud of their achievements
• Focus on the progress they’re making
• Praise them when they don’t leave things to the last minute
• Offer words of encouragement
• Etc.