Study skills & executive function · grades 6–12

The Procrastination Toolkit

A 25-page, evidence-based kit for breaking the avoidance loop. Ten tools, one per page, a four-week recovery plan, a self-assessment, facilitator notes and a parent letter. No slides, no lectures, no shame.

Grades 6–12·25 pages·PDF, printed pages only·No prep·SEL, Health, Advisory

$10.00

Single-classroom license. Instant download on TPT.

Buy on TPT

Also in the Executive Function Bundle 6–12, with organization, time management and motivation
Pairs with Breaking the Avoidance Cycle, the 3–5 day mini-unit on the feeling behind the delay

The procrastination cycle, the loop you are stuck in

Why your brain procrastinates, the limbic and prefrontal tug-of-war

Look inside

Seven of the twenty-five pages.

p. 2 · Teacher implementation guide: what it includes, pacing, materials, prep time

p. 4 · Why your brain procrastinates, the limbic–PFC tug-of-war

p. 5 · The procrastination cycle, project this one

Tool 1: the 2-minute start — p. 6 · Tool 1 of 10: the 2-minute start

Tool 2: the smallest possible step — p. 7 · Tool 2 of 10: the smallest possible step

Tool 3: implementation intentions — p. 8 · Tool 3 of 10: implementation intentions

Name the feeling first, anchor chart — Companion · “Name the feeling first” anchor chart from Breaking the Avoidance Cycle

What is inside

Ten tools, one page each.

Each tool page has the same three parts: the tool, why it works, and a try-it box students fill in before the bell. The first three:

1 · The 2-minute startLower the activation energy. Commit to two minutes, then choose to stop or continue.

2 · The smallest possible step“Write the essay” becomes “open the doc.” Shrink the task until it stops feeling threatening.

3 · Implementation intentionsWhen [trigger] happens, I will [action] at [place]. Removes the decision step.

What procrastination actually is (spoiler: not laziness) and the science behind it, with sources
The procrastination cycle infographic, built for projection
Tools 4 to 10, the 4-week recovery plan and the self-assessment
Facilitator notes and a parent communication letter

How teachers run it

One tool every two or three days across four weeks. Or a two-day intensive. Or keep the kit in the classroom and pull tools as students need them.

Materials and prep

Printed pages only. Optional: a timer and an accountability partner. Prep time is five minutes, which is the time it takes to print.

Who it is for

Grades 6 to 12. Advisory, health, SEL blocks, study hall, counseling groups, and the one student who needs it in a 1:1.

Questions

Before you buy.

Is it editable?

No. It is a PDF of printed pages. There is no slides file and no text document. What you see in the preview is exactly what you download.

Do students need devices?

No. Project the two infographics if you like, then everything else is paper and pencil.

Is it a 4-week unit or a one-off?

Both work. The pages are independent, so a single tool stands alone for a 15-minute advisory block. Run all ten and you have a four-week arc.

What is the license?

One classroom. Additional licenses for colleagues are discounted at checkout on TPT.

What does “evidence-based” mean here?

Each science page names its sources on the page (for example Pychyl, Sirois and Tice on procrastination as emotion regulation; Gollwitzer on implementation intentions).

Read first