So, I am 10 days away from rounding off 18 straight years of education.

All that separates me and my freedom (read: repaying my debts) are 15000 words.

Despite having sworn after doing every other major project/paper/dissertation/exam revision cram at the last minute (on more than one occasion, going beyond the dictated "last minute" and coming up with a feeble excuse) that "next time I will do it properly", I find myself coming back to my old ways. To the point where I feel like a total fraud putting "am well organised and an adept multi-tasker" on job applications.

Does anyone else do this? What's the worst (or indeed, best) last minute feat you've ever pulled off? Go on, dazzle me and make me feel better!

And before anyone asks, yes I KNOW I'm procrastinating, but if the Forum wasn't so goddamn addictive... who am I kidding, I'd just find another distraction :blush:

Somepeople thrive on ''last minute tasks''' but don't realise it .... maybe you are one..... I know I am.

The adrenalin buzz gets me everytime...... at the start or every academic year I say ''must try harder to be more organised''' but by the end of the year i have a month to revise for my make of break exams

So embrase the the adrenalin and go for it...... life is too short !!

erm... yeah... I have another 6 weeks to do my 15000 words...





I've done 300 :D

What am I doing reading this thread? I should be preparing a fund-raising quiz, writing some notes of a meeting I attended, and various other bits and bobs.

But I have been attending meetings since 10 this morning, and only got home after 9.30 tonight for my dinner. So, maybe I'll get round to these tasks tomorrow? Right now, I feel I can justify switching off and having a relaxing few hours on the forum.

But then I say that to myself every night! :hihi:

I have major problems doing anything unless the deadline is less than a week away. So I think I work best under pressure (because otherwise I don't work at all)

Makes me feel better to know Im not the only one puzzling how to write 15, 000 words in two weeks - left mine to the last minute too!!

Always the way of the old proverb 'work expands to fill the time available for its completion'.....

When I was studying for my GCSEs in 1991, I had to hand in 9 assignments for my GCSE English Language and Literature. The very night before the absolute final deadline, I had handed in one. Yes, only one.

I started writing at about 19:00, and remember taking a break at about 23:00 to watch Prisoner: Cell Block H. After this, I wrote until 05:00 (with the aid of ProPlus), slept until 06:00, wrote again until 10:00 and handed in my work at lunchtime.

I got two C's for my work. Unfortunately, this set a bit of a trend for leaving things until the last minute. I'm quite organised at work, but in my own time I find it really difficult to gee myself up. The amount of times I turn up late for social appointments is legendary. Some of my mates routinely tell me to meet half an hour before they intend to be somewhere to compensate!

K x

I once managed to write two 5000 word essays in 2 days after mistaking the deadline (I'd allowed myself 9 days). I have to add that I had already done the research in the previous week and got all of my source material on hand.

I do habitually leave things late because I thrive on deadline pressure, and only get caught out occasionally. I passed by the way.

This one will definitely make you feel better - I had to do a10,000 word dissertation and had a good three months to do it - the actual words were written in the 48 hours before the deadline. The bibliography had about ten references (which I reckon is fairly shabby for an essay that length, agreed?) In fact (the horror of the final night is still fresh in my mind), I don't think I even spell checked it before handing it in. I poisoned myself with caffeine, had to keep taking showers to stay awake and would not have made it through the last night without my best friend who talked me through the panic attacks at 1 am, 4am and 9am.

You are not alone!

And - (ducking for cover at this stage) it got a really good mark. Take heart my friend, take heart.

Originally posted by KookyKoo
So, I am 10 days away from rounding off 18 straight years of education.

All that separates me and my freedom (read: repaying my debts) are 15000 words.

Despite having sworn after doing every other major project/paper/dissertation/exam revision cram at the last minute (on more than one occasion, going beyond the dictated "last minute" and coming up with a feeble excuse) that "next time I will do it properly", I find myself coming back to my old ways. To the point where I feel like a total fraud putting "am well organised and an adept multi-tasker" on job applications.

Does anyone else do this? What's the worst (or indeed, best) last minute feat you've ever pulled off? Go on, dazzle me and make me feel better!

And before anyone asks, yes I KNOW I'm procrastinating, but if the Forum wasn't so goddamn addictive... who am I kidding, I'd just find another distraction :blush:

I am the eggman!

The times I've cried & prayed & found God the night before the exam!


Just turn up, you'll be fine, you have been so far!

If not, and if that's you in your avatar you can be my misstress; I'll keep you in all the luxury my Giro can bend to. :thumbsup:

Back in my student days in Nottingham, I once spent all night long typing an essay in my bedsit. My body literally began to ache every time I reached over the table to check my reference books. In fact, the side of my body became quite painful. Come the dawn, I was actually in agony, but I had at last finished the essay.

There was no time for breakfast, but as I shuffled down the road to college in some considerable pain, I called into my doctors for medical advice. He gave me a note and said I must go straight to hospital for an X-ray.

But, the deadline for this essay was that morning, so I first of all called into the college, and handed the tutor my essay - exactly on the deadline of 9.30 a.m. As I closed the lecture door behind me, I collapsed on the floor and passed out. An ambulance was summoned, and I was admitted to hospital, where I was diagnosed with renal colic, and remained an in-patient for a week.

It was four weeks before I was well enough to return to my studies, where I discovered that I'd only managed a C grade! I appealed, on the grounds of being very ill at the time, and my mark was revised to a B! Phew! Talk about leaving a deadline to last minute!

I wrote my 12,500 word final report in 10 hours towards the end of uni. It wasn't due the next day, I just wanted it out of the way.
That included breaks to eat & drink & watch TV, too.

The next day I revised it in about an hour (polish the edges), and handed it in. Job done. :)

Set yourself an impossible goal, go for it, and you mihgt be surprised and get it done - I aimed for 1000 words an hour (if I got to 1000 before the hour was up I could watch TV until it was) and beat it easily in the end :)

And I thought my last dissertation (the last 7000 words in 4 days) was pushing it!!!


At least with this one, though I havn't done much writing yet, I have at least done the practical part (mostly)!!!

hmmm... and here I am still... procrastinating again... damn forum!!

Originally posted by KookyKoo
And before anyone asks, yes I KNOW I'm procrastinating, but if the Forum wasn't so goddamn addictive... who am I kidding, I'd just find another distraction :blush:

Would you like us to ban you for a few days :D

hehe no thanks Tony, I'd go insane completely without Forum access lol!

I must be the worlds worst. I always leave things til the last minute.......car MOT, paying bills, you name it i'll leave it. :(

Originally posted by KookyKoo
hehe no thanks Tony, I'd go insane completely without Forum access lol!

Go on - my trigger finger is itching. It will be for your own good... honestly, and I would hate for us to be named in dispatches of you failed.

:P

Originally posted by Tony
Would you like us to ban you for a few days :D

now thats just evil!!!!

I did all my uni essays last year the night before they were due in, and got a 2:1 in them all.

When it came to exams, last minute cramming the night before was the key to 2:1 success in all except one, for which I revised for about 2 days previously and got a 1st for... :suspect: I wonder what great things could've been achieved if I'd worked this hard (??) for the others?

My ex did a 15,000 word essay in 3 days and she got an 86 which gave her a 2.1- go for it girl!! Just stock up on red bull!

Yes I shall do that- I'm a bit of a Red Bull/Pro Plus addict in times of dire stress though (I did have to slow down a bit in my 2nd year when I started getting nosebleeds though- uurgh!).

Ok everyone thanks for your encouraging words, I'm feeling more psyched up now and ready to get this done and hit the town next Wednesday night.

If only it weren't *quite* so sunny and lovely outside...

haahaa- i bet that does make it harder!!

NOW GET OFF THE FORUM AND START WORKING!!! ;)

This is KookyKoo, signing off for the day, for an afternoon and evening's intensive writing... gulp :|

Nope- I never leave anything to the last minute.
Never have- never will :)

Oh, Angelus, I envy your discipline.

Oh well, not long now.... bloody hard work this! :|

I wrote my 12,000 word uni dissertation on Jesus Christ Superstar the day before it had to be handed in after my third extension - and got a first!

I barely read any books - was just an excuse to sit in a theatre and watch the telly and claim my work was "pioneering research". My tutor loved me...

I've finished!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :clap:

TOTALLY last minute mind but hey it's done :P