I have lost track of the late nights I have done in my past life but here is the funny thing — whenever I had a constraint, e.g., I had to go out for a dinner, say at 8 pm, I would somehow find that laser-focus in the afternoon and wrap up everything on time.
It is the same thing with deadlines. Give me a deadline, and I will most certainly hit it. But just before the deadline, if you extend it by a day, I will likely keep working on the task for another day.
The same is true for most of us.
If we are busy sending out work emails till 10 or 11 pm, it is often because we can. We often do late nights for the same reason — because we can.
Just put a hard stop on when you will wind-down your work and it will magically bring out your focus and creativity.
The most powerful force in nature is ‘constraint.’
I am not suggesting that there is never a reason for late-night work or that a constraint will make the impossible possible — but more often than we imagine, we operate much below our optimal focus.
If you are working late nights, I challenge you to stop your work one day at 7:30 or 8:30 pm. I am almost certain that you find a way while also getting the job done.
Sometimes, ‘the truth’ is just an assumption. Unless you test it, you will never find out.
– Rajan