If you've read my last blog post, you will know that I am currently operating on a large sleep deficit. My tank is just about empty now and I can feel that I am ready to fall asleep at any time. I do not enjoy this feeling one bit! Yet I cannot find the time to catch up adequately on my sleep.
I am trying to plan a couple naps into my schedule this week. If that isn't enough I will be doing my best in order to go to bed earlier than usual (11pm) until I am able to wake up in the morning without pain. In order to perform through the rest of the semester and especially during finals week, I know I will need to be well rested. This will allow me to retain more knowledge when I am studying for exams.
All-in-all I feel pretty good about what I have accomplished this semester. Once final grades are in, I plan to be sleeping easy knowing my hard work has paid off.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
(24) Performing Under Pressure
Well, it is that time of the year again, December finals. School is winding down but the pressure is building up, and all I can think about is my month off that I'll get to spend with my family. Over Thanksgiving weekend I brought two important assignments home with me, fully intending on completing them. It seems like I do this every time I have a short break from school, the outcome is always the same. This time, however, I was bound and determined to finish my assignments over the long weekend because both were due on Monday and both would have a large impact on my grad in the class.
Like every time before, I barely looked at my assignments. I spent my time having fun with my family and getting maybe 6 hours of sleep a night. On Saturday I only got four hours of sleep before I hit the road at 8am. Now I did work on my projects, but did not complete near as much as I needed to. So then I was left with one choice. To devote 100% of my time to completing those projects upon returning to Plainview on Sunday afternoon. When I returned to Plainview on Sunday the stress and worry began to build. I was already exhausted from my lack of sleep all weekend, but I got to work right away. I began consuming considerable amounts of caffeine starting Saturday morning in order to stay awake during my drive home. I ingested anywhere from 70-140mg of caffeine at pretty regular intervals (every 4-6 hours). I continued this until I completed my both of my projects on Monday before class. In 24 hours from when I started my projects in Plainview to when I turned them in, I spent about 1 hour unpacking, 2 hours working, 2 hours eating, 6 hours sleeping (involuntarily), and 13 hours working on the projects, or at least trying to focus and work on them.
In the end my efforts prevailed and I was able to turn both projects in on time and with a quality that I was content with (meaning I think the work will receive an A). I have done my best to no procrastinate this year, completing one research paper and final project a month before it was due. For some reason these projects evaded me and it came down to the wire. I don't like subjecting myself to this unneeded stress and lack of sleep, but at least I know that I can perform well when I'm under pressure.
Like every time before, I barely looked at my assignments. I spent my time having fun with my family and getting maybe 6 hours of sleep a night. On Saturday I only got four hours of sleep before I hit the road at 8am. Now I did work on my projects, but did not complete near as much as I needed to. So then I was left with one choice. To devote 100% of my time to completing those projects upon returning to Plainview on Sunday afternoon. When I returned to Plainview on Sunday the stress and worry began to build. I was already exhausted from my lack of sleep all weekend, but I got to work right away. I began consuming considerable amounts of caffeine starting Saturday morning in order to stay awake during my drive home. I ingested anywhere from 70-140mg of caffeine at pretty regular intervals (every 4-6 hours). I continued this until I completed my both of my projects on Monday before class. In 24 hours from when I started my projects in Plainview to when I turned them in, I spent about 1 hour unpacking, 2 hours working, 2 hours eating, 6 hours sleeping (involuntarily), and 13 hours working on the projects, or at least trying to focus and work on them.
In the end my efforts prevailed and I was able to turn both projects in on time and with a quality that I was content with (meaning I think the work will receive an A). I have done my best to no procrastinate this year, completing one research paper and final project a month before it was due. For some reason these projects evaded me and it came down to the wire. I don't like subjecting myself to this unneeded stress and lack of sleep, but at least I know that I can perform well when I'm under pressure.
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