#146 Overcoming Student Procrastination with Michelle McAnaney, the College Spy

Flourish Coaching

Oct 29, 2024

In this episode, Lisa and Michelle discuss:

The real reasons behind student procrastination.
Discovering which of the three types of procrastinators your teen is.
Practical strategies to help your teen overcome procrastination hurdles.
How to differentiate feelings from facts to accomplish important tasks on time.

Key Takeaways:

Procrastination is often not from a place of laziness. It is often a form of avoidance of a negative mood, particularly ones associated with a task.
Behaviors that are rewarded tend to be repeated.
It is better to be proactive in catching and mitigating procrastination behaviors as early as possible. Procrastination has a snowball effect that will worsen things when the stakes are high.
If you don’t understand why your student is procrastinating, it can be difficult to know which strategies to best help them overcome it.

“When you’re feeling better because you’re avoiding a task, you are more likely to continue to avoid the task which can lead to chronic procrastination.” – Michelle McAnaney

About Michelle McAnaney:

Michelle McAnaney is the founder of The College Spy, a full-service independent educational consulting firm that assists students and families across the US and internationally with the college selection and application process. Prior to founding The College Spy, Michelle was a school counselor and educator for more than 15 years, including serving as the Director of Guidance at two high schools, an adjunct college professor, and a GED tutor. Michelle holds a master’s degree in school counseling and a bachelor’s degree in human development. She completed UC Irvine’s certificate program in educational consulting and is an MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) Certified Practitioner and an NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) Master Practitioner. Michelle visits many colleges each year so that she has first-hand knowledge of the colleges and universities her clients will be considering.

Episode References:

College Planning Timeline https://flourishcoachingco.com/timeline

#040 Building Motivation & Stress Tolerance for Happy Teens https://www.flourishcoachingco.com/040
#023 College Visit Tips from the College Spy https://www.flourishcoachingco.com/podcast/23-college-visit-tips-from-the-college-spy/

Get Lisa’s Free on-demand video: How-to guide for your teen to choose the right major, college, & career…(without painting themselves into a corner, missing crucial deadlines, or risking choices you both regret).

flourishcoachingco.com/video