By Mrs Jenny Gillespie, College Counsellor

Adolescents (like all of us) can struggle to stay on top of their workloads and when it comes to school, parents of High School students can wonder why their young person is not more organised. 

Lazy or ?

Do you have a young person who seems lazy, intentionally forgetful, unmotivated, or deliberately late? Do you have a young person who is easily distracted and regularly needs repetition of directions to get him/her back on task?  Does your young person underestimate how long tasks take and do they tend to leave projects until the night before they are due?

If so, your teenager may not be engaging in these behaviours to intentionally irritate you! Rather, the cognitive skills (Executive Function) needed to initiate, sequence, organise and monitor themselves are immature.

If you have a young person with these tendencies, there is no easy fix, but you can help them. Explain that avoidance only makes things harder and teach them that being organised will make their life easier!  Repeat often and teach them what being organised involves.  Suggest:

Manage Time

• Use time management techniques such as checklists and prioritised “To Do” lists.
• Ask your young person to highlight assignment key points, draft and due dates on the top of each assignment in a brightly coloured marker.
• Ask them to estimate how long a task will take and consider if you think this is accurate. Suggest they plan more time to do a project than they think they will need.
• Use a weekly planner for both home and school to help your child anticipate their workload.
• Set a designated time (with beginning and end) for schoolwork.

Manage Space

• Schedule a weekly time to clean out desk and bedroom.
• Make the schoolwork area as distraction free as possible.
• Keep assignment folders in specific and consistent places.

Manage Materials

• Use subject folders with organised sections. Headings could include 'Assignments Due,' 'To Do Tonight,' 'Ongoing Work.'
• Set a time each evening to organise materials needed for school for the next day.

Remember to praise effort and progress rather than focusing on areas of continued disorganisation.