Mercurial Musings

Casting a disgusted glance at the teetering pile of books that need to be read for this semester, I begin to feel a little lightheaded. How can one brain hold so much information, especially one as voluminously challenged as mine? There are papers that must be written, reports that must be done, projects and presentations that must be projected and presented, and quizzes and tests that must be studied for.

I told myself at the beginning of the semester that as long as I did a certain amount in each subject every day, I would never get behind. Those days fled quickly, as they do every semester. Procrastination and lethargy have begun slivering their slimy tendrils toward my mind, grasping at it, desperate to pull me away from the grindstone.

Once again, the all-nighter is a prevalent aspect of my itinerary. The everyday discipline I vowed to maintain has drifted away into the abysses of recreation and social interaction.

I am not alone in backsliding from the graces of sound study habits, however. I have seen it happen to many a student already this semester. In fact, it is usually a group effort.

For instance, Tyrone, Billy, and Hakiru all want to go catch a couple of pitchers of beer. You know you have 87 pages to read in your Philanthropy in the Middle Ages book, but you decide to go out with the gang anyway. By the time you get home, you are in no mood (or condition) to read, so you pass out on the bed, setting the alarm an hour earlier than usual, knowing that you will get up and read before class. Of course, when that earlier hour comes, it is as though your hand slaps the snooze button before the alarm even sounds. Repeat thrice.

Now you are behind, and it seems there is virtually nothing you can do to catch up. I’m with you brother (or sister). This very phenomenon is precisely why I am considerably crankier as the end of the semester approaches – Too many nights without sleep and too many hard days following those nights without sleep. It can wear on even the most resolute, devoted person – though, admittedly, if said person were so resolute or devoted, he/she would not be in our situation in the first place.

What happened, then, to the focused, undistracted students? Are they still out there? They are, and I know a few, but few is the operative word. How can we find the balance between our social needs and our academic goals? Unsavory decisions must be made, it seems, neglecting one desire for the other. Throw in a 20-30 hour/week work schedule and it only makes the equation exponentially more complicated.

There is no magic pill to swallow or sacred mantra to chant that will alleviate the problem before procrastinators such as us. The only solace I can offer is empathy, which, in my mind, goes a long way. Don’t worry, we’ll get it all done…tomorrow.