(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.