Summer Cycle

My summer break started approximately 44 hours ago and I'm already going crazy. This means I've entered Stage One of my Summer Cycle. Every year I go through the same thing. Here's a break down of my Summer Cycle:

• Stage One - Anxiety
• Time Frame: One Week
• The first week I go crazy with anxiety and hopelessness. I can't stand the fact that I have no schedule. I begin to feel like I have no purpose - like I could die and no one would notice because I'm not contributing to society. Because of this, I create a "To Do" list to occupy my time.
  

• Stage Two - Productivity
• Time Frame: One Month
• The "To Do" list gives me some purpose and I begin to feel not so crazy. Things get done that would never get done if I was working (painting the deck, cleaning out the storage room, etc). It's great.

• Stage Three - Extravagance
  
• Time Frame: One Month
• After finishing my list "To Do" list, I slip into living a lavish life style. It includes me living like a rock star and spending ridiculous amounts of money (at least for my budget). I start sleeping in more and more, I shop more, I go on lunch dates more. I start thinking work is for suckers. Who has time to fit it into their schedules? This stage ends when I check my credit card balance.
  

• Stage Four - Realization
• Time Frame: One Week
• I realize that even if I don't want to go back to work, I must - I need money to pay off my credit card and it will help me curb my spending.

You'd think that knowing the cycle would help me from repeating it, but it doesn't. Come the end of August I will have accomplished a large to do list (a good thing) and have a credit card bill with a balance in the thousands (a bad thing).