ESL WORKSHEET - The concept of procrastination

LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS

PROCRASTINATION

LinguaHouse

Jan. 28, 2025

Level: Upper-Intermediate (B2-C1)
Type of language: General English
Tags: Declaring and Diagnosing a Problem; Health and Well-being; Psychology; Work; Phrasal Verbs; Article Based; 16-18 Years Old; 18+ Years Old
Publication date: 01/28/2025

This lesson looks at the concept of procrastination and the surprising benefits that are attached to overthinking. Students will first listen to a podcast about the three key symptoms of procrastination and will be given a chance to practice some natural expressions that are present in the script. They will then read an article about the positive side of procrastination and practice using some of the interesting and useful vocabulary that is present within the article. There will be opportunities for students to personalize the vocabulary and build fluency by sharing their opinions on the topic. (by Peter Clarkin)

• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio in British English.

AUDIO TRANSCRIPT

Podcaster: Hello everyone and welcome back to the Productivity Podcast. Today we are going to look at a common enemy of productivity: procrastination. We are going to go through three common symptoms of procrastination so you can identify if it is holding you back from meeting your goals.
Number 1, you shy away from starting out on something new. Do you find the idea of a new hobby or working on a new project quite exciting? Sure you do! You do all the research, find out all about it and then just when you are about to begin you start to feel a little bit stressed and you decide it’s not such a good idea after all.
Number 2, your favorite button on your alarm clock is the snooze button as it gives you the chance to put the inevitable on ice. Giving yourself that little bit of extra time in bed is a common tell-tale sign of a procrastinator. It shows that you are starting your day in an unproductive way by delaying the inevitable and it is likely that you echo this type of behavior throughout the rest of your day.
Number 3, you feel that everything you do has to be perfect. People who see themselves as perfectionists are often the worst procrastinators. If you feel that you cannot produce your very best work, then this may cause you to delay and delay and delay. You might try and put off a task that you don’t feel good about when in all reality inspiration is more likely to set in once you jump in at the deep end and give yourself a proper chance to activate your talents.

Adapted from: https://www.linguahouse.com/esl-lesson-plans/general-english/procrastination. Accessed on February 24, 2025. LinguaHouse.com © 2008–2025. All rights reserved.