"Procrastination is something best put off until tomorrow." -Gerald Vaughan

The Spring semester is almost over.

I can already see the finish line, the light at the end of the tunnel, but blocking that light are these papers, projects, presentations, standing in the way, and this “I got time, I’ll do it later attitude.”

Let’s take a look to better understand how we end up first being overly confident to thinking that we will finish on time to internally screaming that we truly made the worst mistake possible.

1. Genesis: The Assigned Assignment

In the beginning, is the assignment. The five page paper for theology, the three page paper on climate change, the 20 minute presentation on Dracula or a random product you’ve created for your marketing class, regardless of what it is, professor mentioned the key word, “assignment due ____,” and handed the instructions to complete it.

2. Glazing Over the Assignment

How long it lasts: 10 minutes

Your eyes skim the page, you realize that this project will not be easy, but you’re not concerned about it. You ask your professor questions that arise when you skimmed the page, you take any important notes that are necessary to know and you quickly shove the paper to the deepest part of your bag.

3. The Casual Reminder

How long it lasts: anywhere from 30 minutes to every other day

Your trustyworhy good friend casual reminds you that you have an assignment due. (That trustyworhy friend might look as if they started that assignment, but in reality, they are in the same boat as you).

They ask how far or how much you completed this assignment, as just an assurance that they are not alone, but for you it works as the ‘casual’ reminder that you have something due soon (and you don’t remember where you hid your sheet).

4. Riding the Wave of Procrastination

How long it lasts: from being given the assignment to day or hours before assignment is due

You’ve found the instructions after digging them out, and realized, “ehh, I still have time to do this,” or “I have other demanding time-sensitive issues that need to be completed now.”

Types of Procrastination:

A. Watching a season of that new show on Netflix that you found today

B. Completing other assignments if they either due the same day as the other one or due in a week from now and are just easier to complete.

C. Making yourself a really tasty sandwich.

D. Taking a well-deserved nap.

5. The Fall of Procrastination

How long it lasts: the entire day that the assignment is due or day before assignment is due

You’ve realized you made the worst decision. You thought you could write this paper in one day, in a span of 2 hours, but your other responsibilities start to pile on, and the only free time that you find to write this paper or complete this project are the hours between 12am and 8am.

Then you start to realize that 12am to 8am is not entirely ideal because you’ll start to feel the beginnings of drowsiness.

You no longer realize what you’re writing, (as if you knew what you were writing in the first place), your words clump together and your thought process slows down.

Coffee, energy drinks, and food all stopped helping. Sure your eyes are awake, but how does that help when you don’t even have the energy to write one word on the page.

6. Exhaustion: Hungover from the Paper

How long it lasts: 1-2 days after due date

Until you’ve clicked submit can you let out that sigh of relief to then drown in regret for staying up the day before to finish that assignment.

“Well that was a stupid idea,” are the words you mutter under your breath. To cure this exhaustion is a long peaceful nap and a delicious snack or the feast of someone who made it through a tough assignment.

Hopefully, in the future you won't have to go through these phases of procrastination again.