Short and Sweet: Not Every Goal Needs to Be a Magnum Opus
Time and energy are two sides of a rubber band: You can stretch either one of them for a while, but sooner or later, the other one will follow.
By Niklas Göke
Time and energy are two sides of a rubber band: You can stretch either one of them for a while, but sooner or later, the other one will follow.
When you extend the timeline of a project, at first, the same amount of energy spreads over more days. You do a little less, but if you do so consistently, you’ll get a similar result a little later. If you keep dragging your heels, however, there comes a breaking point when energy needs to catch up. You’ll either have to put in a lot very quickly and finally ship, or give in and call it quits. Snap! That’s the rubber band zipping back into its relaxed, equilibrial state.
While this might be the scenario we’re more familiar with, the opposite also holds true: If you push on a rubber band, nothing will happen at first, but eventually, it will move. Reduce the time until the deadline is close enough, and voilà, a lazy student springs into action and writes his paper in a day.
As frustrating as a last-minute attitude can be at times — especially when we’re…
