Do you ever find yourself sitting in front of your computer screen, staring at the assignment that's due tomorrow morning and you haven't even began? Yet you still pull up Twitter and Instagram for about the sixth time now although nothing's changed, then you go to make some ramen noodles, maybe clean half of your room, and then finally find yourself sitting back in front of your computer screen with nothing accomplished three hours later? Procrastination is no joke, for I suffer from it almost every day! Maria Konnikova wrote an article called "Getting Over Procrastination" in The New Yorker magazine, which talks about the views of Piers Steel, a psychologist at the University of Calgary and a former procrastinator himself. This source includes a great amount of ethos due to Steel's standing, logos due to the facts stated in the text, and is part of the definition and quality sections of stasis. On the other hand, Princeton University released an online article that talks about how to understand and overcome procrastination. This source also includes a good amount of ethos because it is a scholarly source, not much logos due to it being more opinionated, and is part of the policy section of stasis instead of definition and quality.

As mentioned previously, Konnikova's article talks about the views of a psychologist at the University of Calgary and former procrastinator himself, Piers Steel. As early as 1400 B.C., Steel says, ancient Egyptians were struggling with basic time management. "Friend, stop putting off work and allow us to go home in good time," read some hieroglyphs, translated by the University of Toronto Egyptologist Ronald Leprohon . Steel also says, "What if procrastination was simply the flip side of impulsivity? Just as impulsivity is a failure of our self-control mechanisms -- we should wait, but instead we act now -- so, too, is procrastination: we should act now, but instead we wait." He provides his own definition of procrastination and makes you look at it in a different light. Steel also points out that procrastinating does not lead to freedom...the stress does not go away like it does when skipping class, it only grows as the due date get closer.

Princeton's article on their website addresses why we actually procrastinate and what we can possibly do to overcome the problem. The article also states that procrastinators often make statements like they do better under pressure or they enjoy the rush of having to meet a deadline and waiting, but they forget the negative consequences such as anxiety, stress, fatigue and disappointment. The article states, "We avoid doing work to avoid our abilities being judged. And, if we happen to succeed, we feel that much "smarter"," which is such an interesting way to look at procrastination. Most importantly, the article provides four steps to overcome this awful problem. First, it says that you must basically admit that you have a problem, and understand why you procrastinate. Second, you must set goals that are reasonable and work towards gaining time management skills. Third, you must focus on the goals you have set and be motivated for reasons that benefit you. Finally, engage yourself in your classes so that you can make sure to understand the material and stay motivated.

The first rhetorical strategy that both of the sources demonstrate is ethos. Konnikova's article "Getting Over Procrastination" establishes ethos through the views of Piers Steel who is a psychologist at the University of Calgary, is the author of the book, "The Procrastination Equation," and has conducted a study. It also establishes ethos by citing other credible sources.  The tone is informational and easy going, making to information easy to understand and believe. As for the online Princeton article, it automatically includes ethos because it is a scholarly source, which means that it is written by someone extremely knowledgeable on the subject, has been peer-reviewed by other scholars, and has been published as a scholarly/academic journal or by a scholarly/academic press, which usually have to do with universities like in this case.

The second rhetorical strategy that both of the sources share is logos, which is established in different ways by both of the sources. While The New Yorker article by Maria Konnikova established logos through the facts stated in the text, the Princeton article is more opinionated but still established logos through the study conducted and its use of ethos. Konnikova's article demonstrates logos by providing facts, for example hieroglyphs dating back to the beginning of civilization and research through himself and other credible authors. Princeton's online article is more opinioned due to that it is like a suggestion on how to overcome procrastination, for not everything works for everyone. The article uses its ethos to establish a little bit of logos, being that the source is scholarly, you know that you are reading something at least somewhat truthful.

Finally, the sources are different in that they are in separate parts of stasis. The New Yorker article is a part of the definition and quality sections of stasis while the Princeton article is a part of the policy section of stasis. Konnikova's article is definition because it talks about the issue at hand and quality because it elaborates on the seriousness of the issue. The Princeton article is policy because it addresses what should be done about the issue and provides a plan.

In conclusion, both sources get their arguments across in alternative ways through rhetorical strategies. Maria Konnikova's article "Getting Over Procrastination" in The New Yorker magazine talks about the views of Piers Steel, a psychologist at the University of Calgary and a former procrastinator himself. This source includes a great amount of ethos due to Steel's standing, logos due to the facts stated in the text, and belongs the definition and quality sections of stasis. Princeton University's online article talks about how to understand and overcome procrastination. This source also includes a good amount of ethos because it is a scholarly source, but not nearly as much logos due to it being more opinionated, and it belongs to the policy section of stasis, unlike the previous source.
