Who's a Procrastinator?

“There are some who give up their designs
when they have almost reached the goal;
While others, on the contrary,
obtain a victory by exerting, at the last moment,
more vigorous efforts than ever before.”
                                                     - Herodotus

Oh my, but does this sound familiar?  Do our girls ever wait til the last minute, give it the big push, and finish at the very, very, VERY last minute? Of course some do!

So what do we do?  We advisors for these wonderful high schoolers?  Maybe we make sure that we're not the girl's troop advisor AND Gold Project Advisor AND parent!  If at all possible, 'tis better not to do it all!  Everyone I've talked to about this has been adamant:  find someone else to work with the girl on the Gold.  That way the parent isn't nagging about cleaning her bedroom, finishing homework AND working on the Gold!

And maybe that could help the procrastination?  I can only hope that the girls will be a little more proactive working with a non-parent.   What will get a high schooler to do something done in a timely manner?  Carrot and stick? Rewards? Acknowledgement and encouragement along the way? Small goals that lead to big achievements?  Pep talks?  Yes/no/maybe so? 

Wouldn't it be nice if we project advisors were there to encourage, help facilitate, work together on deadlines and hold the girl accountable?  I think so. We want to be sure that the girl doesn't give up before reaching the goal.  And we want to be equally sure that we all don't turn gray, hoping for the last minute push!