In the comic, Calvin shows intrinsic motivation and interest in the topic of a school assignment for the first time. Since Calvin lacks self-regulation, he did not account for the time he needed to complete the task of writing his paper. Calvin got distracted earlier in the day and did something else besides writing the paper. A big part of self-regulation is goal planning and time management, and in this instance, Calvin shows that he is not very good at time management. Instead of working on his paper, he chose to play. Calvin also failed at task analysis in the cycle of self-regulated learning because he did not account for the time he needed to write the paper. He did not set any goals or exhibit strategic planning to complete the task beforehand. Calvin lacks self-control and self-monitoring, but if he had learned these skills beforehand, he would have accounted for enough time to do the task.

Calvin lacks healthy self-regulation patterns because of his home and school environments, as well as self-control. His mother could have stepped in earlier in the day to make sure he was on task and assisted with goal planning. Calvin's teacher, Ms. Wormwood, could have intervened during the planning process and ensured that Calvin had set a goal for completing the task at home (see: How Ms. Wormwood can foster positive motivation patterns in Calvin for examples). However, Calvin's lack of self-regulation is ultimately his own fault because he could have managed his time better, planned ahead, set goals for the task, and self-monitored to make sure there were no distractions or time restrictions preventing him from completing the task.

Calvin can be more self-regulated with more support in the classroom and at home.

Ms. Wormwood could do a better job as a teacher is assisting with the planning process for assignments, essays, and projects. The comics show that she does not help Calvin with the planning, leading him to fail in one of the first steps in the self-regulation cycle (the forethought phase).

At home, Calvin's parents could further support Calvin by giving him a planner, helping him build a daily routine, and making sure Calvin stays on task for his assignments. Modeling and showing Calvin these behaviors and habits will help Calvin learn self-regulation for both academic and real-life situations.