Deadlines

I am pretty sure that everone at some point in their lives had to turn in some kind of work, and almost always there is a deadline as to when this has to happen. I am a technical university student, which means that deadlines are part of my life very very often... Much more often than the usaual college kids that enjoy their lives....
You think I am whining? I finished all the required classes for my degree six months early when on average everybody else is 2 years behind schedule. Of course I am not alone. But I am not one from the pile when it comes to hard work. I consider myself to be one of the lucky few who enjoy what they study, but I also think I deserve (as much as everyone else) to be credited for my hard work.
Amongst all these projects and deadlines, I occasionally stumble upon assignments that cause me to loose some sleep, because I tend to overthink them constantly, even (or especially) when I am falling asleep. There are assignments, which I want to be more than good, more than perfect. I want to be unique! I try to accomplish what no other student has accomplished before: I try to do some kind of original work! Of course for a man with some ambition, this is good right? Its good to try and be the best amongst your league right? WRONG....
When this happens I usually ignore the fact that I have a deadline for what I do, and I take my time to do what I think will be some kind of major or minor breakthrough! I may be right (it has happened) but its not actually making me more focused, since my likings tell me to ignore the problem as an assignment and deal with it as research! I usually end up in over my head drowning with the deadline dawning upon me... I aim high and occationally fail very low...
I consider this to be one of the best attributes, since I often have quite good ideas (which may or may not be as good as I think but thats not the point) and I try to explore them as much as possible.