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 begun? 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! In order to learn more about procrastination, I did a little research and found two sources that helped me to better understand the act of procrastination and what I can do to stop. 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 who used to procrastinate 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. Princeton University is another valuable source that released an online article talking about how to understand and overcome procrastination. This source also includes a good amount of ethos because it was produced by university experts, yet not much logos due to it being more opinionated. It is also 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. Apparently even ancient Egyptians found it difficult to manage their time, according to Steel. "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 (Konnikova). Of the entire article, my favorite quote is "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" (Konnikova). This is my favorite because procrastination is never really thought of that way. I found myself reading it over and over until it finally stuck in my head. Steel provides his own definition of procrastination and makes you look at it in a different light. He also points out that procrastinating does not lead to freedom...the stress does not go away like it does when skipping class where the problem just disappears, the stress and anxiety only grow greater 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 like to say that they do better under pressure or that they enjoy the adrenaline rush from having to meet a deadline, yet they forget the bad side of procrastination and how it can harm their body, such as making you feel anxiety, stress, fatigue and disappointment. The article quotes, "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, the procrastinator must be aware that he/she has a problem and realize why the problem is taking place. Second, they must come up with time management techniques that do not cause themselves stress and come up with goals that are reasonable and allow themselves time to complete their task at hand. Third, they must find motivation for good reasons that encourage them to learn. A good thing to do here would be to focus on the goals they have set for themselves and to take risks in order to learn. Finally, they must stay motivated! They must stay present, mentally and psychically, in their classes and not destroy themselves by setting unrealistic goals that they cannot attain.

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, which his research was published in 2007. It also establishes ethos by citing other credible sources such as The University of Toronto's Egyptologist Ronald Leprohon and NYU psychologists' Gabrielle Oettingen and Peter Gollwitzer, who study self-control and goal-setting. The tone is informational and easy going, making the information easy to understand and believe. For example, Konnikova starts the article with a joke, coming off as relatable yet she dives into facts right after proving that she knows what she's talking about. As for the online Princeton article, although it is not "scholarly," it's still informed by scholarship and is a credible source. Princeton University Press publishes scholarly books and a lot of Princeton professors publish scholarly articles, so even though this article is a different kind of source, it is still written by university experts.

Logos is the second rhetorical strategy that both of the sources share, and is established in different ways by each of the sources. While The New Yorker article by Maria Konnikova establishes logos through the facts stated in the text, the Princeton article is more opinionated yet still establishes logos through the study conducted. Konnikova's article demonstrates logos by providing facts, for example hieroglyphs dating back to the beginning of civilization and research through Piers Steel and other credible authors. Princeton's online article is more opinionated due to that it is like a suggestion on how to overcome procrastination, since not everything works for everyone. The article uses its ethos to establish a little bit of logos, being that the source is from Princeton University, you know that you are reading something written by university experts on the subject.

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 order to overcome the problem.

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 experts at Princeton University wrote it, 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.
