There are two words in the college student's vocabulary thatstand out as, respectively, a saving grace and a damning habit:all-nighter and procrastination.
With all the work many students have between classes, jobs andextra-curricular activities, these two practices may come into playmuch too often, especially as we near the end of the semester.Procrastination is a common occurrence around this time. Studentsget loaded with end of the semester papers and projects, many ofwhich were known about all the length of the semester, and try tocram them all in with one or two nights of preparation.
This brings on the all-nighter. A night filled with stress andlittle to no sleep, with a long day of classes coming as thereward.
The art of the all-nighter is one that is inherently learned,either through being the observer of one, or an active participantin many. It all starts with the realization of the due date of saidmajor project. The due date, usually known months before, makes itsone and only reminder the night before. The important thing for asuccessful all-nighter is not to panic.
Panic causes problems and stress, which can lead to sleep; theone thing not needed. After the initial shock sits in over therealization of mere hours of work time, the first reaction would beto send an e-mail to the professor of the class. This is wrong.Professors will not be sympathetic to procrastination, nor willthey give breaks on the grounds of "I forgot."
In actuality, the first thing that needs to be done isprayer.
Pray for energy and the ability to articulate your ideas. Afterthe prayer is finished, the next thing that can be done isresearch.
Go to the library and stay there.
If you have a laptop computer, take it with you, but don't signon to any instant messaging service, this is a distraction and isdetrimental to your cause. Read books, search the Internet and takemassive amounts of notes. Do not leave the library. No matter howmuch research you think you may have accomplished, there is alwaysmore stuff there than can be accessed from your home, not tomention fewer distraction.
Closing time will come too soon, and you will have to go home.At this point lock yourself in your room: unplug everything, andallow no distractions. Fatigue may be setting in around now, itbeing around 2 a.m. and all, so take a short break. Get some food,make a pot of coffee and keep yourself busy. It is the only way tostay awake.
After the short break, and I emphasize short, sit in front ofthe computer and do not move until the paper has reached themaximum length and is chock full of information and a subtle amountof B.S.
Once the paper is finished, depending on your schedule, it maybe time for class, or you may allow a few hours of sleep. Eitherway, you are going to have a long day ahead of you.
After a long night of working, you may promise to yourself thatthe all-nighter is never going to happen again, but after a fewmore months, or even weeks, it will happen - all-nighters are therepercussion of procrastinating.
The lesson here?
Stop procrastinating and start sleeping!
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