There are few sources of energy so powerful as a procrastinating grad student.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Procrastination in academia can generate immense pressure and output when the deadline finally arrives.
- In plain terms
- Grad students often produce great work right before they have to because they wait too long.
- What can you take from it?
- Deadline pressure can drive intense productivity.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you handle deadline pressure?
- Is procrastination always bad?
Another view
Not all procrastination leads to good work; some leads to failure.
More from Paul Graham
Your teachers are always telling you [high school students] to behave like adults. I wonder if they'd like it if you did. You may be loud and disorganized, but…
Permalink to quote #14 Google never did any advertising. They're like dealers; they sell the stuff, but they know better than to use it themselves.
Permalink to quote #16 At any given time, there are only about ten or twenty places where hackers most want to work, and if you aren't one of them, you won't just have fewer great ha…
Permalink to quote #13
Related quotes
Hold their noses to grindstone.
John HeywoodJohn Heywood quote #17 Do not say, 'when I have leisure I will study,' for you may never have leisure.
Hillel the YoungerHillel the Younger quote #3 procrastination is the art of keeping<up with yesterday
Don MarquisDon Marquis quote #5