Reviewed a book in college the midday it was supposed to be turned in. Was authored by the prof giving the course. So I did the opposite of what seemed logical; I really attacked the very merit of his book itself rather than brownnosing. Got excellent marks because no one else dared to go against the grain.
That was decades ago though, haven’t had any similar successes ever again.
The good thing about leaving things to the last minute is that they only take a minute.
That’s honestly half the point of procrastinating for me. It’s easier to be decisive when I don’t have a choice - particularly for creative stuff. Also, I am never more curious about learning new things than when I’m avoiding the shit I’m supposed to be doing.
Thirty minutes you say? That’s plenty of time for the assignment and a couple of online matches.
One time I forgot to make a presentation for a public speaking class my friend and I were taking, only realizing after class had already started. I got my friend to lend me his laptop and quickly made one in the 15 minutes or so that I had before he needed it back to give his own presentation. I ended up getting an A on mine, while he got a B. He was pissed.
Very similar story, I had to take a test to keep from failing a laws class back on high school, I had completely forgotten… It was in the afternoon, so a classmate who had been preparing for weeks helped me study before after morning school… I passed, he didn’t.
rate of work = 1 / (deadline - current time)
What unit is the 1?
Because there are no units, the equation can only be used to compare one rate of work to another rate of work at a different time (or a different deadline).
ratio of rate of work at time t1 compared to rate of work at time t2
= rate_of_work(t1, d) / rate_of_work(t2, d)
= (1 / (d - t1)) / (1 / (d - t2))
= (d - t2) / (d - t1)
This works because the only variables left are in the same units, even if that unit itself is unspecified.
Its a factor. It doesnt have a unit.
I spent a full week on a semester book report in college the second time I went to college, and ended with a term paper I was super proud of. I got a B on that paper but the important part was I learned a ton from that book and it was super interesting.
The first time I went to college I completed a term paper in a couple of hours the night before after largely blowing the class off and got both a B on the paper and a C in the class for it. I didn’t remember until I was turning it in that it was supposed to take me the whole semester to write and be a big project to stress over
I don’t know what the takeaway is exactly here but I think it’s interesting nonetheless
Procrastination is a lot easier to pull of when working individually. It can create some challenges when working with a partner or with teams. Communication is key. My wife is a procrastinator and it is remarkable what she does within a small amount of time. However, I think it can often create a lot of avoidable stress and unforeseen challenges that could be avoided with some parents and thoughtful scheduling and planning. Love the meme though!
The stress is the point though, right. You feel that it is important and there you give it your all. And then when there’s nothing important to do, you relax and wander about. Stress is the motivator. Making a schedule is boring and so if it even gets made, it won’t have follow through.
I think people just function differently in terms of how they approach work, which is ok. Some people work best by moving stress well ahead of declines or spreading things out over time. Sometimes responsibilities also don’t allow for people to procrastinate. Lots of variables. Some people need stress to be motivated it seems.
I think within the context of ADHD, I’ve heard that this is true. That the stress motivates them to get the thrill of getting it done. Of course, not all people with ADHD, I imagine, but I understand that this behavior is more common in people with ADHD.
