Procrastination...it's an art form only to be perfected by the finest of students. As I sit here writing this article, I am most definitely procrastinating my school work that I should have done days ago, ah the irony. If you're anything like me, working under a time crunch created by yourself has become the only way you know how to complete assignments. And every time I procrastinate, I always say "this is the last time!" because I try to convince myself to get ahead on my work assigned. However, as we all know, procrastination is a vicious cycle that never ceases to repeat itself. Let's take a look at the four stages of procrastination...
1. Assignment Assigned. Oh look, the due date is so far away I don't even have to think about starting this yet. The professor's advice to get a head start on the assignment is not merely a suggestion, but a challenge. I'll just set a reminder in my phone to start the assignment next week, or something like that. Four pages is nothing and the research should be easy.
2. Close Call. I only have five days until this paper is due. That's still a good amount of time to get a head start on this paper. But, I think it's time to start to put some effort into my work at this point. Walk to the library, crack open a book, plug my laptop in and convince myself that I'm actually going to start this assignment. Thinking about the assignment is just as good as actually starting the assignment, right?
3. Panic. What have I done to myself. This paper is due tomorrow and I have yet to type a single word. I should take a nap to recharge my brain. Then maybe I'll make myself something to eat, you know, brain food. Obviously, I have to organize everything in my life before I can start this paper. *proceeds to clean entire room, do laundry, check emails, wash car, etc*
4. Realization. It's crunch time. There's no way I can put this assignment off further than I already have. Really, I can only blame myself here. It's time to take my talents to the library for a caffeine induced all nighter.
