Have you heard of the term ‘Procrastination’ being floated around social media extensively? What does it actually mean? Simply put, it’s the tendency to avoid finishing hard tasks till the last minute. Children, like adults, face this resistance—whether it’s completing assignments, staying focused in class, or persevering with long projects. This might give the impression that they’re acting lazy. But in reality, their brain is just doing its innate job. An energy hungry organ, consuming 20% of the overall energy, our brain is very selfish when it comes to expending this energy. Hence, it is wired in a way that avoids hard, uncomfortable and unfamiliar tasks. 

To tackle this, is an ancient Buddhist technique called the Lotus Method, curated to oppose your brain’s default setting and take control. The method involves 5 important steps: 

• Awareness :  Acknowledging the mind’s discomfort instead of fighting it – this shifts control from the region of the brain involved in regulation of emotion, motivation etc to the logical and decision making part of the brain.
• Layered breakdowns: Breaking big tasks into tiny ones—small tasks bypass the fear region in your brain, the amygdala. Instead of taking up massive projects at once, focusing on small, achievable goals trick the brain into motion and builds confidence.
• Trigger reward:  Finishing small tasks trigger the release of dopamine (associated with reward) helping build momentum. 
• Stillness : 5-10 minutes of stillness every day can decrease the levels of stress hormones in the body and increase alpha brain waves associated with creativity and problem-solving.
• Patience : As the lotus flower takes time to push through the mud to bloom, growth works the same way. 

When a student faces mental blocks and goes down the rabbit hole of procrastination, we at The Navriti School, draw on a range of strategies, including principles similar to the Lotus Method, to ease the discomfort your child faces. At the heart of our unique education model are 5 key pillars – one of which is the Emotional Wellness and Joy Index. Through this, we ensure your child feels emotionally balanced and supported. With our behavior management and emotional regulation curriculum, even challenging tasks like meeting deadlines or completing homework seem approachable and achievable, helping your child stay focused and not feel pressured.

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Written by Kangna Verma, Admission & Communication Specialist, The Navriti School