The 11 Stages of an All-Nighter

As UC Davis students get ready for or are in the middle of finals (depending on which program you’re in), we want you to know that  Tandem Properties feels for you. The folks over at HerCampus.com, have the 11 Stages of an All-Nighter. Here are the first six:

1. Preparing for Hell

Settling into your study spot of choice with the sad knowledge that you are about to endure an all-nighter is one of the worst parts. You look in the glass of your sleeping computer screen and take in your reflection. Your hair is decently put together, your face is matte, your eyes are lacking dark circles. But you know that this is all going to disappear. You say goodbye to your peace of mind and your admirable reflection as you boot up your computer and dreadfully get to work.

2. ​Making Friends With the Clock

As you pick up momentum and keep working, you can’t help but notice how the minutes are ticking by. You’ve only been working a mere couple hours, but your deadline is inching closer by the minute. The thought of reaching sunrise with an unsatisfying product, or worse, an unfinished one, lingers in your mind as you vigorously attempt to make progress. You notice that you’ve been glancing at the time in the corner of your laptop screen nearly as much as you’ve been looking at your work.

3. Social Media Binge #1

You’ve been at it for hours, and you just need a dose of reality! Or the reality of social media addiction. You say you’ll just check Twitter and Instagram for a five-minute break, but that small break turns into a half hour. And before you know it, you’re on the verge of typing netflix.com into your browser. Another little break couldn’t hurt, right? No! It very well could hurt. Resist the urge to “Continue Watching”!

4. Caffeine Refill

Black And White Coffee animated GIF

Your first cup of coffee is long gone, and you need a reboot. It may be nearly midnight, but when it comes to all-nighters, all proper hours for drinking caffeinated beverages fly out the window (much like motivation). You’re going to royally mess up your sleep schedule anyways, so really, what’s another few ounces of coffee?

5. Sudden Rush of Early-Morning Motivation

For a rare and beautiful moment, pointless posts on social media and your dreamlike haze of thinking about your crush have finally left your mind, and your full attention is somehow redirected to your schoolwork. Maybe the caffeine kicked in in just the right way, but suddenly it’s two in the morning and you’ve actually accomplished a solid chunk of work. You feel pride kick in for a glimmering moment, just before it disappears forever, only to be replaced by stage six:

6. Utter Despair

It sinks in that you’re only about halfway done with the vast amount of work you have to accomplish before your deadline. This is without a doubt a glass-half-empty situation. And as you realize that you have five hours left, it suddenly seems like you have five minutes left. You let out a small fear tear before resting your head on the table.

Read the rest here: 11 Stages of an All-Nighter.