I’m all for being organised and on top of things.
But there are SOME situations and certain tasks for students where a specific and purposeful decision to leave something to the last minute *can* actually mean improved efficiency AND a better outcome and result.
Which camp is your teen in?
Are they in the ‘Leave it to the last minute – I work better under pressure’camp?
Or are they in the ‘Get it done as soon as they get it’camp?
Although I know there are examples of some super-successful people coming up with their best work under pressure, I personally prefer to feel in control and reduce my stress levels as much as possible.
* Raises hand for the second camp*
BUT… Ahhh, there’s a but! 😉
BUT… there are SOME situations where I’ve made a specific and purposeful decision to leave something to the last minute because experience has told me that it works better that way and actually saves me time and effort.
And there are certain types of tasks and situations where this could be the case for students too:
1) Anything where they have to present.
(For me, that could be an in-school workshop or an online webinar).
In other words, anything where I’ll be able to perform betterif the information and content is fresh in my head.
If I’ve just finished the powerpoint or just written the content or schedule, then it’s going to be top of mind for me and therefore I’ll be a lot more confident inpresentingand have everything on the tip of my tongue.
The topic or concepts are already rolling around in my head and so examples or analogies will be easy to pull out as I’m asked questions or when I need to expand on something.
This means I’m not just relying on my powerpoint or notes.
(Never a good look in a presentation – for me or your teen!)
I’m less robotic and can really get into the event a lot more as well, making it a lot more engaging for the parents or students.
Overall, I can focus on making the delivery really amazing, rather than having to try to remember or think so much about what I’m saying.
The same goes for these blog videos!
I started off, years ago, planning the topics I wanted to talk about much further in advance than I do today! But then it meant that I had to read back over my notes and remind myself of what it was I was going to talk about before I started the camera rolling.
What I quickly found though, is that if I leave it til the day or day before I want to film to plan what to talk about, then it’s fresh in my head and I don’t end up spending additional time recapping my notes or going back over my ideas and thoughts.
So I actually SAVE time, AND do a better job of the delivery.(I hope!) 😉
So, for students, if there’s a task where they have to present or act out or deliver a speech, then as long as they still give themselves time for editing, improvements and proofreading, then it might be better for them to actually construct the powerpoint, or write the final script close to the performance date.
2) When there’s more information that will become available before the deadline.
When I first started in teaching and was preparing for Parent-Teacher interviews, I’d compile data and notes on students well in advance.
(Because of course Miss Organised over here likes to get things done asap – that should really have become my married name – MRS Organised) 😉
But then a couple of parents would end up cancelling – which meant wasted time and effort.
Plus, things would sometimes come up or change in terms of how a student is going in the week or days leading up.
So I had to end up changing my notes or data anyway, doubling up my time and effort.
Students might find themselves in this sort of ‘new info becomes available and so changes what I do or don’t need to do’ situation when the teacher is going to continue to drip info, ideas, tips, or content.
I’ve seen this in a couple of my Personal Coaching students where they’ve done what seems like the right thing and gotten started on a report or assignment early, only to get some additional or new info the next lesson that means they need to change, or take out, or add in something.
This has meant there’s been some wasted time or effort, or perhaps a difficult choice in whether to continue with what they’ve got, or make a pivot in order to get the grade they want or need.
So rather than default to whatever ‘camp’ your teen usually sit in, have them make a conscious and calculated decision about their homework and assignment tasks.
When is it going to be beneficial to get ahead?
When might it actually make more sense to leave it a little longer before they start working on it?
>> Let me know in the comments!… Which camp does your teen usually sit in and how is that working for them? I’d love to hear your feedback 🙂
Until next week, let’s make this a fantastic week!
Katie
