Surviving an All-Nighter
Published 2 years ago, mid-June under School
As a college student with a penchant for procrastination, I occasionally find myself in the unenviable situation of being faced with a workload so great that I have no time for sleep. These situations are almost always avoidable with advanced scheduling and time management, but we humans aren’t always that rational. So here’s how I deal with the situation.
Stay Focused
Procrastination is always the reason I find myself in the all-nighter predicament, so I have force myself to stop procrastinating over the course of the night. The method I use was introduced to me by a post on Merlin Mann’s 43 Folders called (10 + 2) * 5. The premise is quite simple:
1. Set a timer for ten minutes in which you will concentrate on your work.
2. After ten minutes is up, spend two minutes goofing off (mandatory).
3. Rinse, Repeat.
By forcing myself onto a clock I find that not only will I stay on task, I’ll often work faster.
I use a simple dashboard widget: 3-2-1 timer from baldgeeks.com as my timing device of choice. It hides in the background (which prevents me from watching the seconds tick by) until it interrupts me to inform that my time is up.
The first thing to realize when undertaking an all-nighter is that you will quickly lose your mental edge as you grow more and more tired. It’s much more difficult to write a coherent essay at noon the day following an all-nighter than to write it at 2AM. If I have multiple assignments to do over the night, I try to tackle the hardest ones first.
My weapon of choice to stay awake is tons of green or white tea. Diet Coke also works wonders, but I find regular sugared soft drinks actually make me feel worse about an hour later. When it comes to food I tend to eat light or wait until breakfast.
Location, Location, Location
If I study in my bedroom, I will inevitably negotiate with myself for some sleep time and wind up over-sleeping. If I study in my living room, I’ll wind up watching TV. I try to find a spot as far away from my personal spaces as possible and only bring the studying essentials with me.
The day following an all nighter, I try to take a nap if possible. It’s also good to move around as much as possible. I try to stay awake until at least 7PM to not disrupt my sleep pattern too much.
Yeah, same here. I also try to drink liquids with taurine in them. Somehow when combined with caffine, taurine sends my mental state into high gear. It also clears my mind of random junk that might sidetrack me from the task at hand. My weapon of choice is Redbull or Monster. I know that it is not proven 100% that taurine enhances neurotransmission but I feel the difference as opposed to drinking caffeine alone. Taurine+caffeine+vitaminB12+sugar = brain fuel.