We’ve all been there before. You have a paper due the next day that you haven’t really started, you hardly studied for your exam until now, you forgot that an important deadline is coming up. Or, if the cards really aren’t in your favor. You’re in all of the situations I just listed.

The night is coming, you have so much work that needs to be done. So, you hunker down in your room and you try to get all the work you need to do in one night.

Now, I know I may not be an expert. I am a freshman, who still hasn’t had that much experience outside of the classroom. But believe me, I know the college all-nighter. After participating in a near dozen all-nighters, I have scientifically defined the 3 stages, documented this heavily, and now I share it with you.

1. The hopeful phase (9:30 a.m. - midnight)

You’ve just listed everything you needed to do. You have everything listed and all of your needed materials out. You have your beverages, (more than likely caffeinated) waiting in the wings of your desk. You should be ready to go, and for a while, things seem to be going your way.

2. The spacey phase (Midnight - 4:00 a.m.)

This is when your attention starts to wander. You’ve been checking your Snapchat story, twitter feed or Instagram every 5 minutes instead of focusing on what you need to get done. The common “Youtube Rabbit Hole” is known in this phase. But despite the distractions, because there isn’t much time before you start to slip into the next phase.

3. The eternal regret phase (4:30 a.m. onward)

Your eyes hurt, your head hurts. You’ve taken ibuprofen whilst drinking a monster. Your to-do list is half done and then you realize that you have to go to work the next day. There’s no turning back and going to sleep now because you’re pretty sure that you’d sleep through your next class if you decide to fall asleep in the computer lab.

This stage continues until the work is complete.