Slacking Made Easy

Ever since the formation of the school system, slacking has existed. It doesn't really matter how studious you are or aren't on a consistent basis, at one point or another you get stuck doing shit that you just don't want to do. That's just a part of life. I have been told on several occasions that I have turned slacking from something looked down upon by society to an art form. Over the years I have managed to get fairly good grades with doing the bare minimum amount of work even though it looks like I spent days working on whatever the task is. I'm not exactly proud of this ability, but I will say that I am rather impressed by myself sometimes. 
I know, I know. You're thinking "Kt, prove your ability to us" and "There is no way in hell that it is possible to score anything above a C in a half-assed assignment". Oh, random reader, I have proof. 

 The photo on your left is part of my proof. I am currently taking an English class and have not completely read any of the books so far. My goal before the end of the semester is to finish one of them but I've yet to find something that I can really get into. I took this midterm without really studying, mostly because I'm usually sitting in the back of the room reading something completely off topic. In this class I have also written a paper comparing Achilles from Homer's ancient Greek epic poem The Illiad to Harry Potter. Don't ask me how I did it, but I managed to get the only A in the class. I was the only one who did not read The Illiad and all of my Harry Potter examples came straight from memory. On the day of the midterm, my professor pulled me aside when I gave him my exam and asked if he could use a couple of paragraphs on the overhead in the next class period as an example of exceptional work. 

A second example also occurred this past week. In my Global Communications class I wrote a short essay about television in the late '60s-early '70's comparing Adam-12 to Dexter. I also had to give a presentation on this. In said presentation, I flat out said "I was not prepared for this. Why did you make me come up here today?" When I got my paper back, I received full points for the presentation and was marked down one point on the paper for not answering one of the questions in the prompt. I wrote the essay an hour before it was due in the school computer lab. 

I can't exactly say that I dislike these two classes or that I have no interest in their topics, I just work a lot of late shifts that usually begin right after my classes end and I am too tired to do homework when I get home. I work five days a week and sometimes, I just can't find it in me to come home and study. 

With that being said, here is the one tip that will hopefully help you coast through something that's mildly important, but at the same time a bit too tedious for your schedule. Or just because you don't want to do them: choose what you know. It doesn't really matter what the prompt or the topic of whatever you're doing is, pick something you have some knowledge about and research the rest. Let's take the paper for example. As previously stated, I did not read the book nor do I really know anything about Achilles. I read snippets of the story on Sparknotes and pulled examples from that. The quotes I used came from the "Important Quotations Explained" section. The rest of it was cake. I am very knowledgeable about Harry Potter lore and used specific examples of from all seven novels without looking up facts or anything. I simply just wrote about what I knew. 

It really is that easy. Try it next time you have little time to complete a paper or project. Just pick something that you know and focus on that. If I can do it, you can do it. 

*sidenote: I don't know if anyone from City Mag still reads this, but don't tell Cindy that I did that with the television project. Although, I'm sure she already knows. Cindy if you read this, I'm sorry. I can't promise that I won't do it again, but hey at least I've been making it to class on time and turning my stuff in, right?*