Incubation

Would you like to know one of the easiest and most effective ways to work on your paper? Okay, here it is: go play. Go on a date. Grab something to eat. Take a hike. Even watch tv (though we hate to recommend this one!).

Here’s how it works: just because you’re not actively thinking about your paper doesn’t mean that your brain stopped working on it. If you get started early, then you can afford to take some time off and enjoy yourself while your brain gets things ready for your next revision session. It’s like yeast rising in the oven. It’s like $1000 earning interest in the bank. It takes no real effort on your part except that you have to get a good start so your brain will have some material to work with. The more you invest initially, the more you’ll get out of your time.

And for you procrastinators out there (as most of us are, to some degree), here’s perhaps the best news of all—if you get started on your work first, you’ll enjoy your play time twice as much! Instead of those nagging thoughts in the back of your mind about everything waiting for you to do, you can forget them for a while and relax, knowing you’re working hard and efficiently.