Study Tip: you don't work better under pressure

Many procrastinators tell themselves—and others—that they procrastinate because they work better under pressure or time constraints. This is almost never true. We tell ourselves this for two main reasons:
·      Waiting until it’s almost too late and then finishing the essay or project triggers the risk-and-reward chemicals in our brain. It feels good to procrastinate and then somehow get it done. It’s the same type of reward stimulation that makes driving too fast feel fun, and it’s the same type of risk that makes driving too fast dangerous and stupid. There are safer, more interesting ways to stimulate your brain than putting off your work. Play a video game (as a reward after you’ve finished your work); challenge yourself to build something in less than an hour; get up the nerve to ask that person out on a date; go for a run—all of these are better options.

·      Very often it seems we work better under pressure because it’s only when we’re under pressure that we give ourselves time to focus. It’s 1 am and you have a paper due at 8? And you haven’t even begun it yet? You’re going to focus and “power through” on that essay, and you might think it’s the powering through that made you write a good paper. It’s actually the focus that made it good. Had you allotted two or three hours to focus and work only on the paper when you weren’t sleep-deprived and in a panic, you would have written an even better paper. Give yourself time for deep focus, and don’t always make it in the middle of the night before something is due.



So, next time you have a big essay or project due, allot yourself a big chunk of time before the last night to work on it. Turn off any distractions. Reward yourself with something creative and fun when you finish. If after trying this a few times you still think you’re the rare genius who works better under pressure, go for it. But there’s a 99% chance you’ll just do better work and get better sleep.

No comments: