You have a paper due in 6 hours. You have spent your time playing Grand Theft Auto and watching videos on YouTube. Reality has set in and you need to produce something. Fast. What do you do? There is hope.
Here are some simple steps to keep you from losing your marbles:

• Remain calm, do not panic. As difficult as it may sound, you need to relax. It’s the best way to approach your challenge. Envision completion of the task. You have put yourself in this situation. So now is not the time to freak out. Attitude is everything and the key to ploughing through this.
• Organise what you need to write. Jot dot any and all thoughts on your topic. Create a quick outline.
• Find a quiet place to write. You need to focus and your intoxicated goggle-wearing flat mate will be a distraction. Lock yourself in your room with the drink of your choice and get crackin!
• Write. Just start typing. Exhaust all you have in your mind. This is a desperate time and you need to dump all your thoughts on the page.
• Don’t focus on minor points. Put your efforts into the whole of the work. Don’t bother editing while you write. Save that for later. Try bolding areas you want to revisit. Hopefully you have the time.
• If you need to do referencing and bibliography, save that for the final hour.
• Read aloud what you have written to edit and correct and glaring mistakes
• Submit your masterpiece.

The brutal truth is that this may not be your finest work. You have procrastinated and you need to turn in something that is ‘good enough’. Once you have accepted that your ultimate goal is to simply complete your assignment, you will be free to think and write. It can be quite liberating. Do not worry about the mark you will receive. It’s too late for that and quite frankly you don’t have the time!

Yuri Singh 7/7/09