When do you pull the plug on a day? Do you stay up late to finish a project, or call it quits and plan to get up early the next day?
photo by Melina Vanni-González
I am facing a dilemma right now where I have an extra project which I want to get done. Sometimes an extra project doesn’t fit into the normal schedule of the day. So, the question is, “Where does it fit in?”
We’ve been working hard to keep balance in our lives so spending an enormous amount of time on one project and neglecting others is not the balance I want. An easy answer might be to get less sleep. However, I don’t think that’s always the solution, at least not long-term.
So, how and when do you finish a project you really need to ship?
I think the answer to that question really depends. When do you get your best work done? When will you have a good chunk of concentrated time? What can you cut out to allow extra time for the new project? Do you have a time limit to finish?
I’ve found, for me, I get my most creative work done in the very early morning. I can and do sometimes stay up late to finish a project but struggle more during this time. I love to get away from the house for guaranteed chunks of uninterrupted time and often am more productive when I do.
Claudia and I also talk through our weeks, planning out most days very specifically so we will know when and where we will have some extra time.
Question: What about you? If it’s crunch time, how do you create the time to make it happen?
That’s a great discussion and question and a tough one to answer. Like you, my best work is done early in the day and many times if it’s requiring a lot of thought, if it isn’t done early it won’t be done. Sometimes I’ve had to sort of clear the decks so to speak and just concentrate on that and push the other tasks to the next day when at all possible. I’ve worked on certain projects long into the day but I can tell I’m not as sharp and usually go back the next day and touch things up.
I know you’re a morning person, Ann, so I’m not surprised to hear you say that. It sounds as though you’re putting our productivity experiment to work – focusing on one thing at a time! 🙂
First of all, I do NOT like crunch time! I dislike being hurried and rushed and thus try to carve out time early on, weeks or days ahead of “due” dates, but sometimes, a rush is necessary of course. I like going to the park or in the “quiet” room at our local library for a couple of hours. I’ve always worked best in spurts, however sometimes I get hooked on a project and it really is hard to stop just because I’m enjoying it so much.
Michael, I love going to my local library to work too. That’s great that you know you don’t like crunch time and plan ahead and avoid it. Well done!
I often do my best work when “the pressure’s on.” It seems that I much less likely to get distracted during those times. I used to try to stay up late trying to finish things, but I can’t seem to focus when I’m tired. My preferred way now is to get a good nights rest, and wake up early to dive into whatever I’m working on.
Ryan, I work well when the pressure is on too – to a certain degree at least. I’m the same way and need to call it quits when it gets too late. I’m NOT a night person.