When I was in Architecture school at Berkeley (Go Bears!), my classmates and I suffered long, hard nights at the studio drawing massive plans, building detailed models and drinking lots and lots of caffeine.
Some of our semester long projects required over 60 hours of work per week, in addition to our actual class time for both Architecture and general education courses. It was nuts, and because we had segments of the semester long project due about every 2 weeks, I often found myself pulling all-nighters, crashing on a nearby couch, or in a sleeping bag under my desk.
Most of my classmates were right there with me, pencils in hand – however there were a few select students who just seemed to never be around until the last couple of days before each deadline.
My studio mates and I always thought, “There’s no way these people are going to finish in time. We’ve been here for almost 2 weeks straight, and they come in with 2 days left before the deadline with nothing.”
Well – when the deadline came around and our graduate assistants and professors looked at our work, some of the “procrastinators” always seemed to get the better comments.
Truthfully, it bugged the crap out of the rest of us! As a result (sadly), those students were segmented from the rest of the group because we couldn’t stand how they could get so much good work done in such little time. It just didn’t seem fair. They weren’t in the studio much to talk to anyways.
Fortunately, I ended up becoming good friends with one of the “procrastinators” because we were both in the Marching Band together. I eventually ended up talking to her about why she comes in with only a few days left before a project was due, and this is what I remember she said:
“There are a few of reasons. First, I know if I spend all of my time in studio with you guys, we’ll chat all day and all night and probably get nothing done. I’m actually glad the rest of you feel this way about me, because then you won’t talk to me when I do come in and I can focus and get my work done.
“Secondly, it’s because the deadline works in my favor. It forces me to be extremely focused, because I have no other option but to be focused. Putting things off and not making decisions doesn’t become an option anymore, and I can get more done.
“Third, I have so many other things to do, and so many other things I’d much rather be doing than spending all my time in studio. No offense, Pat.”
Here is what I (and you, possibly) can take away from this kind of mindset and approach:
- Just because you’re spending time doing something doesn’t actually mean you’re getting things done. Yes – I was basically living in the studio and doing “work”, but was I focused and doing work the entire time? No.
- Minimize distractions to maximize efficiency.
- Be smart about your time. Time is something we cannot get back, so being efficient and smart about what you do with your time matters a lot. Stay laser-focused.
- Understand what makes you laser-focused. For my marching band friend, her came from the approaching deadline. For you, it may be something different. Force yourself to be focused when you want to get things done. This combines perfectly with #2.
- What she said about “…not making decisions doesn’t become an option anymore” really struck a chord with me. Many times, we find ourselves working on projects, websites and businesses, and not following through because there’s something “just not right” about it, or it’s not perfect. Well, nothing good will happen until you launch, until you actually finish your project and make those decisions.
- Understand what you want in life, set your priorities, and do what it takes to make it happen.
There are two types of procrastinators in the world: the lazy ones who waste time, and the smart ones that control time. Luckily, I met a smart one and learned a lot about how she utilized her time and forced herself to stay focused.
Should you be a procrastinator?
No.
Should you strive to be efficient, maximize your efforts and stop wasting time, so you can spend time doing other things that you love?
Absolutely.
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{ 55 comments (Click Here to Leave a Comment Below) }
Hi Pat,
Excellent advice. Time management is a problem for many, including me.
I was surprised by the answer that your classmate gave. It was excellent! And it teaches us a lot of things about time management. You know she is spot on, as she utilized those two days to the maximum. She utilized that time very efficiently/effectively! And that’s what we should do too!
And on the web, time management gets even more daunting as there are many, many distractions!
Thanks a lot for sharing this advice!
Kindest,
Nabeel
What’s nice is that she was really able to enjoy herself the days before she began work, so in essence even though she started work late, she ended up getting more done. Thanks, as always, for your comment, Nabeel!
I totally agree with you. Time management is really a big challenge for most of us. It all boils down on how we do manage our time especially on the internet, wherein a lot of distractions are coming our way.
Hi Pat,
an interesting perspective your friend has. Personally I hate leaving things to the final deadline, I’d rather complete stuff as far ahead as I can. I do agree that particularly online we need to focus on the important tasks, as Nabeel commented, there are so many distractions!
Des – her answer was interesting to me too, and it made me think about what could have happened with her projects if she had that laser like focus right from the beginning, and actually spent all 2 weeks in that mindset. Imagine what great things she could have accomplished, even more than she had already.
Great insight because there are a number of industries, including famously journalism, in which there is always an imminent deadline and in which working with looming deadlines and times constraints is part of the job. Keeping focused and making decisions on the fly are essential to productivity.
It’s like how they say, relying on your gut instinct, or your first thoughts often is the best decision, and it’s when we begin to think too much about something that our productivity slows down. I’ve noticed the same thing for me, which is why I don’t really write my blog posts ahead of time. I find that I just can’t do it well and focus.
“The Successful Procrastinator”
That has a definite ring to it for a book title…lol
Haha – indeed! Howie, the site is coming along. I see all of your guest posts, and I can’t wait until you start generating real content. Any particular date?
Hey Pat,
Great advice! Having a full-time job and working on my passive income on the side is hard stuff but I have been getting it done. Like your friend mentioned, it is about time management.
Question – How do you feel about one pursuing their passive income gigs and making it their full-time job? Or does that defeat the purpose of ‘passive’ income?
Cheers,
Ricardo
Well, I think one can still pursue their passive income gigs, with the intention of putting them on auto-pilot to either make more passive income gigs, or spend time doing other things. You’re right though, it’s something to be careful about – you can say you’re earning a passive income when really you’re still doing a lot of the work. It’s about looking at your business model as a whole, and even how you live your daily life in relation to your businesses, to find where you can automate, outsource or just even cut back on the actual real time work that you do.
Super post and something that I’m sure will strike a chord with many of your readers (inc. me).
I particularly agree with point 1) in your list: just because you’re spending time doing something, doesn’t mean that you are getting anything useful done. I’ve talked about this in a post on my blog, and labelled that type of behaviour ‘Productive Procrastination’, something I’m very prone to fall into. I mean, just because I’m sitting in the back-end of my blog tweaking this and that, DOES NOT mean I’m working on my blog; what I’m actually doing is bits and pieces but avoiding doing the real work – hence productive procrastination!
An interesting question to ask yourself is whether you notice any discernible difference in the quality of the work you execute quickly under the pressure of a tight deadline versus the stuff that you produce with weeks of effort.
Cool ideas are often borne out of ‘needs-must’.
Hey Tim – I like the label you gave: “Productive Procrastination”. It makes so much sense. I can easily admit that I fall into that category every once and a while too, but it’s something I’ve been training to get out of, especially now that I have a family and I think they deserve my time more than the things that aren’t really getting me anywhere with my businesses.
For myself, I know I do better work under pressure. This has been the case in school, at my old 9 to 5 job, and now with internet business as well. The problem is now that I’m working on my own, it’s harder to actually put that pressure on yourself.
Awesome post as usual Pat, and definately something I can relate to.
My strategy of setting myself little deadlines for specific tasks or projects works quite well in motivating myself to get that project/task completed by the set time, although I don’t think it’s as much of a motivator as an external deadline set by your college/university.
I was definately the same at Uni, left a lot of my coursework till the last few days whilst other friends sat in the library and probably felt like they’d worked loads harder when really they were just socializing the whole time!
~James
Hey James, do you have any tricks or methods you like to share regarding your deadlines? I mean, how do you really make them deadlines when they are dates that you only set yourself, or does it just come with practice and training?
Great post, Pat. I know this post speaks to me, as I was a one of the “successful procrastinators” back in college.
Here’s a question for you: How can a person simulate that “pressured deadline” feeling in order to get all the benefits that your architecture friend was able to achieve by waiting until the last two days to get projects done?
Great question, Eric. It’s something that I was kind of asking/touching on with James’ comment.
It can be tough to actually make a deadline feel real, when it’s just you yourself who is making it. I think it just comes from training and practicing, and maybe even just writing it down. I know, for me at least, once things are on paper, it makes it more “real”.
Actually, one trick I do is simply announce something on this blog, because then I feel obligated to meet a certain deadline, since it’s published and there are a ton of people out there who can hold myself accountable.
I hate cramming the day before something is due. Staying up all night, neglecting my family, and drinking large amounts of caffeine just isn’t healthy, but I’ve resorted to do it many times ensuring that I could get things done. It feels good to know that I finished the project, or completed a goal, but the next day usually really sucks, and I don’t end up getting anything done for the next couple of days while I recover.
Now rather than waiting for the last day to cram I’m working on moving the deadline up. If I have a project due in a month, rather than wasting the first 3 weeks and not really do anything but turn it over in my head and then finally starting to work on it during the last week. Why not set a rigorous deadline for yourself 1 week away. Force yourself to be productive during waking hours and end up with the finished project 3 weeks early. And you won’t have those nasty recovery days.
For the rest of this week I’m working on writing ALL my blog posts for August. That way I won’t have to worry about doing them everyday and I can focus on more marketing projects and my next ebook. Which is working much better than my usual method of slowly working on next blog post all day and barely finishing it before midnight. When you set a goal to write 3 a day its amazing that I can do it in just a few hours!
Blake – great advice, and if people really applied it, it could really work. However, it’s really tough to discipline ourselves to be able to “cram early”, if that makes sense. Plus, and I know from my own experience, when I finish something early, I always know I can do more to make it better (even though it may not require that work), or I can’t help but think that I may be missing something, which sometimes drives me crazy.
You are totally disciplined, Blake, and that’s awesome
I could never do that. I am the type of person to get the project done day 1, and then sit back and relax the rest of the time. Get it over with.
It would drive me nuts and I would never sleep knowing time was running out.
Richard, just like I mentioned with Blake, getting things done early for me doesn’t necessarily mean I’m done thinking about it. At least for me and with Architecture, you can never really be “done” with something, as there is always a part of the project that could be improved. That’s the tough part for me, and is why I’m usually a Smart Procrastinator. Different strokes for different folks though! Cheers!
Most of my best work has come when I’m face-to-face with a deadline. There’s an adrenaline rush that comes with that up-against-the-wall feeling, and the focus is so intense. It’s not the healthiest thing in the world because I tend to shut down on everything else when I get into that mode, but I love every terrifying minute of it
I’m the exact same way as you Jean! When working online, do you set deadlines for yourself? And how do you uphold them, since it’s your own deadline that you set, which can be easily moved around if you wanted to. Just wondering. Thanks!
Hi Pat,
This post brought back some crazy memories from university where I pulled many all-nighters trying to finish up projects at the last minute. Luckily, that time is long gone and I can appreciate the difference between what really needs to get done and what’s nice to get done. I do however often need the pang of a looming deadline and the stress attached to it, to actually get the thing done. If I have a deadline that’s too far off, it’s much to easy to procrastinate and let things slide. Somehow, knowing that I may miss a deadline gives me the focus and clarity needed to get the job done.
I think there are a lot of people that feel the same way, Karen, including myself. I think pulling those all-nighters was a great experience though, because like you said it really makes you think about what really needs to get done now, because I can’t imagine pulling all-nighters anymore, at least with a family to take care of and having to be focused the next day too.
I was always the person in my MBA program writing a 25 page term paper the day before it was due. And I often made a higher grade than others who worked on it for weeks. I do my best work under pressure.
Recently, I pulled my son out of full-time daycare. When he was there every day, I knew I had all week to get things done and it worked against me. By only having him there two days a week, I am focused and driven on those two days because I know there won’t be extra time later if I don’t get things accomplished.
Many times we take more time to get things accomplished because the deadline is too far away. Give yourself a much shorter deadline and you’ll likely get the same amount of work accomplished in much less time. Works for me!
Works for me too, Stacey! Thanks for sharing – very smart of you!
Hey Pat, I used to procrastinate a lot in studio myself, and another thing us procrastinators may not tell you is that just because we’re not sitting hunched over the drawing board 24/7 doesn’t mean we’re not thinking about our projects all the time. I would be out somewhere at the library or in a coffee shop doodling in the corners of my notebook trying to get all the details right. Then when I finally got to studio I knew exactly what I needed to do and didn’t have to design as I went and struggle to fill in the empty holes.
Seems like all the post today are about productivity, and procrastination. Well I don’t know what to think about this. Most people seem to work better under those conditions of pressure. But not everyone has this style of doing things. I think it all comes down to the type of person you are.
I was always the procrastinator too, but I don’t think my best work came from being under pressure. I think you give up GREAT work when you procrastinate. But that’s just me.
Ha, I always found it funny when people would work so hard all day at something and I get the same thing done it a quarter of the time, and a day before the project is due. I have been a procrastinator all my life. and I never really like the term, it has negative connotation to it. SO I have come up with my own phrase. I am ‘selectively lazy” I choose not to work when other have because it makes me work longer but completing less and I choose not to do more work when less will get the same result. Hard work vs Smart Work I guess.
Great Posts Pat, kind of up set that you let the procrastinators secrete out, but I guess I’ll have to live with it. I have to set a deadline for myself for every project in and out of a school atmosphere (considering I am still in College…25 and still an undergrad kind of sad I know but Better late that never). Loved the Post Pat.
Pat, I had the same type of people in my advanced classes. A couple of them would get there programming assignments done in a matter of one day and one night, when I had been busting butt for a week.
I think it comes down to more than being ‘selectively lazy’. If you need guidance, obviously you should start early. If you’re good under pressure… then by all means
I absolutely like how you observed this past event, Pat. It definitely shows that procrastination, when done smartly, can actually benefit us. I also like your point about focus.
I am a BIGTIME procrastinator, and have a history of intense focus under pressure. In the last 4 days I have created artificial deadlines for myself, and as a result I have the first 2 weeks of blog posts for my new blog all ready to go.
I am very excited to see what I can do with continued artificial deadlines.
Pat,
With post title like this, I had to read and see if there was a hope for me
Actually, like story I too remember from college days that some students did not seem to work or study hard but they did all right, there two reasons, one is like your friend and other reason could be they might be working hard alone, where many of us did not see the work they were putting on.
As a recent parent yourself you will know, there are some days I just want to be unproductive and sleep, but we as a parent and provider got to do what we must do and enjoy a little.
I always enjoyed reading your feed in my email and come here as comment once in a while.
This is really true. I try to create fake deadlines on projects so that I can get myself into this type of focused thinking without procrastinating.
I started doing this last Thursday / Friday and my productivity on real effective things has exploded.
Awesome post, as always. Personally I found in college that the deadline worked in my favor as well. The paper’s due tomorrow, so I have the choice to do it, or fail. In the real world though, the cut and dry deadlines don’t exist. My new idea for a company is just an idea, there’s no one telling me how and when it needs to be done. It needs to come about entirely from self-motivation.
What I found to work best, I heard about on Maren Kate’s blog. It’s called the Pomodoro Technique. I’m sure you already know about it, and how effective it can be. Honestly using those techniques, I can pop out an entire weeks worth of my traditional paced work in a matter of hours. Fantastic. Thank again. ~Ryan
Hi Pat,
I think the best lesson here is this: Just because you spend time on something doesn’t count. It has to be focused time without and distractions, not multitasking and allowing the multiple interruptions.
I recently took a course from Eben Pagan called Wake Up Productive. One of the many areas we went into was the concept of “Time Chunking” Where you work in blocks of time say for 2 hours and then take a 15-20 minute break. During the 2 hours you are completely immersed in what it is you want to be focused on. You treat whatever it is you’re working as the most important thing in the world. Sounds a bit intense I know but it goes back to your class mates idea of intense focus.
The hardest part for me was not ignoring the cell phones and emails but the urge to do things online that were basically non-productive, like checking sports headlines, stock quotes, etc.
I don’t consider myself too regimented but breaking my day into 3-4 of these intense sessions and doing noting else has made for a great boost in my productivity.
Take Care, Mike
Pat, this is a great post. It immediately struck a chord with me as I was reading it. I have been guilty of wasting time often while pretending to be busy. And at the end of it wonder why I am not getting things done.
Constant focus on your end goal is of utmost importance. Only then you can spend your time effectively.
I must say that your friend over here was wise. But I seriously doubt all the latecomers are so wise. Many are so just for the heck of it.
Flynnstone!
I for one am easily distracted. It takes ages for me to get things done, mainly because I have so many other things on my mind that I wish I could rather be doing. Music is one of such things. I can’t wait to get a guitar in my hand and play, but, I have to finish a damn paper for my next economics class. I haven’t managed to deal with it yet, leaving it all to the deadline, but still managing to complete the work and somehow get a good grade. It’s damn scary at times, but has always worked out. I’m going for the 20/80 rule: 20% effort, 80% outcome – I like!
Cheers,
Patrick
Pat,
This reminds me of Zig Ziglars speech about how most people seem to get really productive right before they leave on vacation. The deadline in front of them really gets them focused. So if you tend to procrastinate, like I’ve been know to do from time to time, having some kind of deadline can really help get work done.
Hey Joe – great idea! Book vacations to beat procrastination
I’ll get right on that!
Tim,
I think we’re onto something. “Double your productivity by spending half your time on vacation.” Need a catchier title, but could be the new 4 Hour Workweek.
I’m sure a lot of people would agree to provide the same amount of output at work for the same wage but in half the time, if they were given the rest of the time as vacation.
Pat, this, IMO, is your best post. (well maybe its second to your earning reports!)
I have been a procrastinator to some degree but my friends are professionals at it — i personally think its a good skill to have for both entrepreneurial and daily life aspects.
Nice work, again.
This is a classical example for ‘Parkinson’s Law’, isn’t it?
“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”
It’s really like this: you get a deadline that in the beginning makes you say: OMG, how am I supposed to do that? In the end, you’ll do – more often than not – just fine and the results are good, maybe even great. Parkinson’s Law therefore combines greatly with the Pareto Prinicple
Pat,
As a fellow Bezerkely alum I can totally relate to this. I have a friend who was premed (ended up being an ibanker instead). He would never go to class, and for Organic chemistry freshman year, he went to one lecture and got an A- in the class. Berkeley tends to be full of these types of people that you are talking about. If there’s anything I took away from watching these people is that they worked on what mattered and what would have the biggest impact.
I had a roommate in the architecture school and I remember the long hours he would put in so this made a nice walk down memory lane. Also, I didn’t know you were in the band. I actually played in the Wind Ensemble for two semester and was even a featured soloist. Cool to see an alum go down this unconventional path of success
Pat,
Thanks for the post! This is true, there are many people who seem to be so efficient at what they do. I think this is really the key to success. Doing things as efficiently as possible each day in working toward our goals. We can work all we want but if it’s inefficient, not much progress is made. Thanks!
Hey Pat.
You raise some really important points in this post. I tend to be guilty of wasting time,quite often I look as though I am busy but am not being very productive.
Sometimes its good to set tight dead lines as this forces us into focused action this can be applied to every aspect of our lives. Do you aply these principals to your online business? What has been your great achievement utilising these principals?
Hey Pat,
Another well thought out and well written article. I’m not sure I agree with you that “There are two types of procrastinators in the world.” People who use their time effectively and maximize their efforts are commonly referred to as ‘disciplined’, the very antithesis of procrastination.
Thanks for posting.
Pat,
Great article! Caffeine and all nighters definitely brings back memories.
***Off topic question** What are people’s thoughts on the .co domain? Should I be looking to get this domain extension too? I don’t want to “procrastinate” on this.
Great ideas Pat. Everything said here goes along well with the time efficiency tips given by Tim Ferris in the 4HWW. Personally, I find I get things done effectively by working in two hour chunks on ONE project or task, followed by a 30 minute break in between, and then move on to the next important thing.
Love the consistent quality content bro! Cheers.
Great article and I’m definitely in the procrastinator’s camp. One of my philosophies: I don’t work best underdeadline – I ONLY work underdeadline
As a kid, a dangerous lesson I learned in economics classes was about the new trend to Just In Time Manufacturing, and I could see how efficient doing things when they really need to be done can be successful. Of course, it doesn’t allow for “life” to happen, so you have to be careful how much you rely on it.
And by the way, great to connect with you today thanks to @masonworld on Follow Friday!
Bob Jenkins
It really isn’t the number of hours you work on a project that makes the quality of the work. Working in short, uninterrupted bursts is often the way to go.
I’m always last minute on projects (procrastinator). More stress, more guilt but the results are about the same. You have to be honest with yourself and do what feels natural.
For an impatient soul like me, it’s not possible to do thing’s at turtle’s pace! I want to get my projects up and running as soon as possible. wasting time is something that irritates me to my wit’s end. Can’t let go my peace of mind!