How Procrastination can make you More Effective, Harder Working, and Free up time
We have all been there. 8pm the night before a big paper or big exam, and you haven’t even cracked the book; sitting furious with yourself because you ended up in this position AGAIN. Odds are you did fine. We have all survived many similar episodes in our college careers.
Here what you may not know: That is a wonderful place to be. Those following hours were probably some of your most productive hours in the whole year. You learn a semester worth of material in 12 hours? You finish a month-long final paper in a 20-hour marathon of stimulants and panic? Awesome.
You accomplished those things because you had to. You were in a position where the consequences of failure were so significant that you were certain to perform. There is nothing wrong with this. Actually, this is an incredible tool, if it can be used correctly. Let’s break it down:
- Impending deadline: not flexible, not negotiable
- Dramatic penalty for failure
- A long time leading up to the assignment, spent making mountains out of molehills
This situation sounds terrible. Psychologically speaking, it can be very intimidating. It is very hard to shake the “if I don’t pull this off I fail” mindset. But turn that around. Let’s look at the advantages you have here:
- Incredible focus and clarity
- No dispute of priorities
- Adrenaline and excitement
- No time for non-critical tasks
- Obvious and immediate time-table
These advantages may seem slight in the face of the task you have to complete, but they should not be underestimated. They have served you well, and will continue to do so in the future. They are your weapons against wasted time.
The negative mindset is a huge obstacle to embracing and maximizing this situation. “If I don’t pull this off, I fail” is poison. Think: “I have to do this, I will do this. Let’s do it.” That’s all. Use the time pressure, but allowing looming failure to overshadow your work will not result in your best.
This all breaks down into a simple principle. The fancy name is Parkinson’s Law. It states: “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” What this means is that the longer you give yourself to study for a test or write a paper, the longer it will take. Not only will it take longer, but due to distraction, stop-and-go work and lack of focus it will likely be of lower quality.
The implications of this are the one lesson that college should teach us above all. Cramming, all-nighters, and marathon study sessions are incredibly efficient uses of time. They ensure that no time will be wasted on trivialities, and that absolute focus will be given to the topic at hand.
In order to best apply this principle, you have to embrace it. Plan for it. Accidental procrastination can be dangerous. Planned, scheduled and choreographed procrastination can work wonders. So how do you plan for procrastination?
- Break down the task into the essential parts
- Allot each a specific amount of time (adding 10-20% of estimated is a good idea)
- Ensure that you have an unbroken block of time (double-bookings are a bad idea)
- Find or create a comfortable workspace (secluded if that is your thing)
- Schedule in time for short breaks, meals, walks, and maybe naps
- Short naps are fantastic (but that is another post)
- Make damn sure you have all the resources you need
- Be well rested going in (you wouldn’t start a marathon after a huge party)
- Keep the positive mindset
- Rock it
Hopefully this can help in your next tight spot. What are your most impressive, short time-frame accomplishments?