Succeed in School: Lesson 195

Overcoming Procrastination

Learning to Avoid Delay in Schoolwork

Visit “Studying the Scriptures” to help prepare yourself spiritually to learn.

Do you struggle with procrastination? The following quiz can help you find out:

1. When you have a school project, how do you usually handle it?

   1. I start right away.

   2. I delay a bit.

   3. I wait until the last minute.

2. If you don’t enjoy a task, what’s your response?

   1. I do it quickly.

   2. I do other tasks first.

   3. I keep putting it off.

3. How often do you leave projects undone until the night before they are due?

   1. Rarely—I stay ahead.

   2. Sometimes—but I manage.

   3. Frequently—it’s my habit.

4. If a task seems overwhelming, what do you do?

   1. Break it into smaller steps and begin.

   2. Wait until I feel more motivated.

   3. Avoid it and hope I figure it out later.

5. How often do you miss deadlines?

   1. Rarely.

   2. Occasionally.

   3. Often—it happens too much.

Scoring:

• Mostly As: You’re managing your time really well! Keep it up, and help others learn from your example.

• Mostly Bs: You’re on your way, but a few changes could help you feel more in control. Give it a try!

• Mostly Cs: You might be waiting a little too long to get started. Today’s a great chance to make a fresh start.

We all have reasons we delay doing things. Being proactive (acting in advance) is an attribute the Savior wants us to develop (see Matthew 25:1–13).

Invite the Holy Ghost to help you recognize how Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ can enhance your efforts to be proactive in your schoolwork.

Lesson Purpose: To help you find ways to overcome the temptation to procrastinate schoolwork.

Learn How

Faith in Jesus Christ leads to action

If you struggle with procrastination, you’re not alone. People in the Old Testament faced challenges with delaying important tasks too.

Gathering food in the wilderness was difficult for the Israelites. One morning they awoke to find that the Lord had miraculously provided daily food the Israelites would call manna.

Read Exodus 16:4–5, 14–15, looking for the Lord’s instruction for how manna was to be gathered.

Read Exodus 16:16–22, 26–27, looking for some of the consequences of procrastinating gathering the manna or not gathering the double portion the day before the Sabbath. Tag what you find as “procrastination.”

How could this account apply to a teenager’s temptation to procrastinate about their schoolwork? What are some consequences of procrastinating about schoolwork that you or others you know have seen?

Do not idle away your time

To help us understand the importance of overcoming the temptation to procrastinate, Elder Randall K. Bennett of the Seventy remarked:

We must counter the natural man’s tendency to procrastinate, to put off, or to give up.

As we progress along the covenant path, we will make mistakes, some multiple times. … But faith in Heavenly Father and in Jesus Christ is a principle of action and power. If we are willing to act, we will be blessed with the strength to repent and with the strength to change.

We fail only if we fail to take another faithful step forward. We will not, we cannot, fail if we are faithfully yoked to the Savior—He who has never failed and will never fail us! (“Your Next Step,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 75)

procrastination, repentance

Elder Bennett’s statement helps us understand the following: As we act with faith in Him, the Savior will help us overcome the temptation to procrastinate.

Prayerfully consider how well you complete school tasks and assignments on time.

• I (always, sometimes, rarely) procrastinate doing my schoolwork. A reason I procrastinate is .

Recognizing why you procrastinate can help you overcome the temptation to do it. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have promised to help you escape the temptations you face (see 1 Corinthians 10:13).

Increase your ability to overcome procrastination

Review the following suggestions for overcoming procrastination.

• Take a few moments each morning to pray to Heavenly Father, asking for His power to help you remember and accomplish schoolwork tasks.

• Set aside a regular time each day for schoolwork.

• Take short, regular breaks to refresh your mind and refocus.

• Identify distractions and put them away. This may include a phone, computer, or book.

• Organize a study group with classmates who have the same school assignments.

• Find a quiet place to work. Our surroundings can impact our ability to focus.

• Choose someone you trust who can help you stay focused and complete tasks and assignments.

• Plan a reward for accomplishing a specific task to celebrate your success and hard work.

Design a poster or infographic to motivate a student to resist procrastination.

1. Include a doctrinal mastery or scripture passage to help a student rely on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to overcome this temptation. You could use Joshua 24:15; Proverbs 3:5–6; or Doctrine and Covenants 58:26–27; 88:124. Or you could draw pictures to illustrate a scripture story that demonstrates the consequences of procrastinating, like the story of the Israelites gathering manna or Noah building the ark (Genesis 7:1–10).

2. Add one or more strategies from the previously mentioned resources that would be effective in overcoming procrastination.

Dig Deeper: For additional ideas on overcoming procrastination, see the article “Beat Procrastination and Get Stuff Done!”

Share Your Thoughts

Lesson Purpose: To help you find ways to overcome the temptation to procrastinate schoolwork.

Share one or more of the following with your teacher or class:

• Your poster or infographic.

• Something specific you did to achieve the purpose of this lesson.

• Any questions this lesson raised for you. How will you try to find answers to your questions?