We all have those moments of leaving assignments to the last minute because they slowly creep up on us when really, we just forgot about them. I’m the same and old habits are hard to change. So, here are my top shameful but truthful stages of cramming at the last minute:
Stage 1 – there’s still time
You check the subject outline and realise a huge assignment is due soon. You tell yourself it can’t be last minute!
With a week to go, you try to motivate yourself… “Okay, time to sit down and do this assignment.”
Time for a game plan: If I write the heading first, then do 300 words every day it’ll be easy.
Suddenly, it’s three days before the due date! All you’ve done is open readings on your computer, then minimised them. Mild panic settles in. You tell yourself three days is a long time.
Stage 2 – how to have a breakdown
Now it’s the night before the due date, and you have an endless amount of work to do!
You are yet to even write one sentence and another night goes by.
You’re hungry and tired. You grab anything caffeinated and all the snacks you can find. A rewards system is the only way through!
After a promising start (meaning you’ve written the title and your name), you then have a mini breakdown.
Stage 3 – the end is near
You finally finish sobbing and stuffing snacks into your mouth, pull yourself together and start typing. You type nonstop for a few hours and finish a quarter of the assignment. Time for a break!
There are 8 hours until your due date… you buckle down and get to work.
Another 10 min break turns into a 45 min Netflix break and a 3-hour social media check.
You guzzle more caffeine and commit to finishing, except you forget what you are Googling and start watching cat videos until you freak out again!
Stage 4 – never doing that again
You’ve finally reached your word count (or close enough anyway), no time to proofread.
It doesn’t make much sense, but as long as you submit something, all that matters is that it’s all over.
As you climb into bed, you tell yourself you will never do that again and will start the next assignments earlier…
Next time you think of leaving an assignment to the last minute, remember the stress these stages cause and just do it!
