They say art reflects the times. If you consider writing art, then you will begin to see many articles on the internet chronicling the psyches of students as their finals rapidly approach. This is the timeline of a the procrastination of a college student.
1. The Bravado - This is the day the assignment is given to the student. It is a paper that really requires 4 or 5 days to complete properly. The professor states they are assigning it weeks in advance to give everyone enough time. The professor clearly states that this assignment cannot be completed the night before. The student hears the warning but simply laughs. They toss the assignment aside.
2. The Bliss - Who cares about work? Life is too short to always be writing papers. The weekend comes. The student foolishly believes he will have plenty of time to this assignment.
3. The Bliss Pt. 2 - The assignment has been completely forgotten. The student is carefree and happy. Party Hard!
4. The Realization - Sunday morning. Saturday was spent socializing and fraternizing. The student’s eyes roam around the room. Suddenly shock! They see the assignment sheet. They forgot to start the paper. The paper that they had weeks to do! That paper is due tomorrow!
5. The Initial Panic - The student panics as a million thoughts about the assignment rush through their head.
6. The Beginning - After the panic attack has ended, the student musters enough motivation to begin the assignment. They are a little worried, but still believe that they can complete the assignment. They’ve done it before and they can do it again.
7. The First Plateau - After an hour or so, the student hits a roadblock. She's exhausted their mental energy and the assignment seems like it will never get finished.
8. The Secondary Panic Attack - A sense of dread settles in. The professor did say that the assignment couldn’t be finished in one night, didn’t they? Panic ensues again.
9. The Recompose - The student takes some time to recompose himself after the second panic attack. He calms down and proceeds to continue on the assignment.
10. The Flow - Finally hitting her stride, the student gets a decent portion of the assignment done. She feels good about herself and the work that they are doing.
11. The OTHER Realization - The page count for the assignment is 10. The student is on the third page.
12. The Tertiary Panic Attack - At this point, physical exhaustion has set in. The combination of the mental stress of the project and the physical stress his body has been put through prompts another breakdown.
13. The OTHER Recompose - The student regains some semblance of sanity. He continues to write.
14. The Second Wind - After watching some inspirational videos, listening to some inspirational music, and looking at some inspirational pictures, the student attacks the assignment with a newfound ferocity.
15. The Final Stretch - The student is close to finishing the assignment. It’s 2 o’clock in the morning, and every fiber of her being is screaming out for her to quit, but they don’t! She keeps pushing.
16. The Completion - After six hours of work, countless sources cited, endless prayers that this paper will be finished, it is finally finished. Finally.
17. The Relief - The student can relax. Mission accomplished.
