netWert
Ideapad
See also Webfolio, Whimsy, + I Art Wert

How Procrastination Occurs
A typical David Wertheimer paper-writing night

Recorded by David Wertheimer, Franklin & Marshall '95, sometime sophomore year

A little background: Thursday afternoon, fall semester, five-page (or so) paper due for 9 a.m. class the next day. Needless to say, not much work had been done on the paper as of the day before. Time to buckle down and write the sucker, without delay, right? Well, sure. Sort of.

3:00 p.m. Plan to work from 3:30 to 6 and hit dinner

4:05 p.m. Scrap afternoon plans and watch TV, shower, hang w/roommates

6:00 p.m. Dinner

6:45 p.m. Leave dinner with plans to work from 7:00 to 10:00 with small break

7:52 p.m. Remember that The Simpsons are on at 8, scrap plans to 8:30

8:47 p.m. Talk to friends w/ Broadcast, campus's computer-network chat program

9:01 p.m. Kill study plans until 10:00, relax in common room of suite

10:00 p.m. Remember L.A. Law is on--decide to watch it and start work at 11

10:10 p.m. Girlfriend stops by; ignore homework and most of L.A. Law

11:05 p.m. Decide that it's time to leave common area and start working

11:30 p.m. Girlfriend says it's time to work on paper; read informational packet

12:05 a.m. Finish with packet, flip through book, then food delivery menu

12:10 a.m. Order food with roommate and hang out until food arrives

12:50 a.m. Eat

1:30 a.m. Decide to work straight through until finished

1:40 a.m. Girlfriend falls asleep

1:45 a.m. Fraternity brother stops by to say hi

2:25 a.m. Brother leaves

2:30 a.m. Girlfriend wakes up and leaves

2:44 a.m. Freshman friend stops by; talk with him and roommate

4:12 a.m. Frosh leaves; determined to work on paper for a few hours

5:05 a.m. Find another friend in building on BroadCast; stops by to say hi

5:20 a.m. Friend leaves; one-1/3 page done, resume working

5:35 a.m. Message on BroadCast from a hallmate asking for computer paper

5:38 a.m. Bring paper down the hall

6:19 a.m. Return to room; one-2/3 pages done

6:23 a.m. Decide to work hard and finish paper before 8 a.m.

7:04 a.m. Call campus radio station to say hi to friend on the air; two pages done

7:17 a.m. Fraternity brother in same class calls to complain; three pages done

7:58 a.m. Paper done--five-1/5 pages

8:07 a.m. Paper printed, proofreading commences

8:15 a.m. Done revising; print out final copy

8:26 a.m. Finished printing final copy

9:01 a.m. Fall asleep in class

--

Back to the Ideapad

Copyright © 2000 David Wertheimer. All rights reserved.