Procrastination. It can be your greatest motivator or your greatest enemy. Or both. I don't know about the rest of you but I tend to do this more often than I'd like to admit. The stress, anxiety and all sorts of other emotions that mix together during this time are something else. If you can avoid procrastinating, I highly suggest it, but if you want to put off whatever you're doing now and take a look at this representation of a single assignment you took too long to begin...read on!
1. I have plenty of time to do this.
2. Five days away from the deadline? Nothing to worry about.
3. If I just do a page a day it'll be done a day early.
4. If I do a page and a half a day I can put it off until tomorrow.
5. I want to go out, I can just work on it and get it done tomorrow.
6. I'm just going to take a short nap before I start.
7. I slept too long, I have to write a page an hour and I can get to bed at a decent time.
8. I need a little break.
9. It's 11 p.m. and I'm still on page one.
10. I`m going to try another nap.
11. It`s three in the morning and this is due in about six hours.
12. Okay, time to panic a little.
13. Why didn't I do this sooner?!
14. Why do I do this to myself?!
14. Cry a little and start again.
15. No stops, no pauses, no breaks, no nothing, just type.
16. I just need to look at my phone for a couple minutes to wake myself up.
17. Crap, I just lost half an hour.
18. I have thirty minutes left, I have to finish this conclusion and look it over.
19. Spell check and quickly read it over and we are ready to go.
20. Breathe. Just breathe.
21. Send it to the printer.
22. Run to class because obviously I left late and need to turn this in on time.
23. Sigh, relieved after arriving just in the nick of time.
24. Swear never to do it again.
25. Repeat.