Inflating Effort

Edit: Khatzumoto at All Japanese All The Time wrote two excellent posts that provide a much better way to accomplish things. They are The Fork, the Choice and You and Potheads, Planners and Players. Using this now with great success. 

There is a tendency to balloon effort to fit deadlines. It is common to wait until the last moments of available time to finish a project. A paper we have all semester to write? Usually finished within the last week or few days before the deadline. “We have so much to do!” is often surrendered. However, if this paper was given at the beginning of the semester with ten days before it was due, somehow it would get done. Whether we have one exam or three exams in the same day, somehow it all becomes completed.

I took advantage of this idea when studying for the DAT. I learned from studying for the MCAT that studying over a school break is frustrating and a fun leech (big problem!). I began studying for the MCAT in March of 2009 and took it in July of 2009. I received an 87 percentile and missed many great opportunities to have fun experiences during the semester and half of the summer. I began studying for the DAT in early October and could take the exam before winter break, or after winter break. Utilizing this idea of deadlines I gave myself two months to study. I achieved an overall 92 percentile. If I had waited until after winter break then I would have piecemealed to give the same amount of effort over a longer time – and ruined my winter break!

Therefore I propose setting artificial deadlines. If a paper is due at the end of the semester, make it due in a month instead. Be prepared for exams a week before it is necessary to take them. Turn in job paperwork far ahead of time. The stress of having these things lingering is far greater than the initial push of getting them started. A small nudge of effort can start an avalanche of effort into a project. Projects require the same amount of time and effort whether it is finished now or in 2 months. Might as well finish now and be able to cross the project off the list.

This is all similar to the idea of Timeboxing where we can make goals of time rather than completion. By giving yourself 10 minutes to look at flash cards in Anki, it is impossible to lose. Finish 10 minutes? That is a win! Chipping away pieces of a larger project is difficult to quantify and feel like we won. Instead of deciding to just clean the house, timebox 30 minutes to clean. Somehow the effort will balloon to fit the deadline and more will be accomplished. A partially clean house is still a “Win” by completing the 30 minutes worth of cleaning. This can be applied to homework with preference. Sometimes I like timeboxing homework, and sometimes I just like completing it. I have tried both ways and I feel like I finish the homework sooner with the same quality of work if I timebox.

Our tendencies make us have lingering projects and stress. Set up those artificial deadlines and have more time to do fun things! By setting up the deadlines, projects also become more fun and rewarding. Have you ever finished a paper a month early? It feels awesome! Taking the DAT after 2 months and getting the same score I would have if I double the time to study feels great too. These concepts can be applied all over our lives and lead to more joy and fun by turning things into a game.