Reading time: About 3 minutes
All-nighters not only cost you sleep, they also set you up for a self-defeating writing habit…
Do you ever pull all-nighters? When I was a university student, I did them all the time. It helped that I was already a night owl and that I needed less than the typically required amount of sleep per night. In those days, I could get by on six hours if I caught up on weekends (which I know is a bad idea).
Now that I’m older, I need seven hours. And now that I’m smarter, I find I don’t need to pull all-nighters at all. As a result, I was both surprised and distressed to learn that some universities — in Germany, Canada and the U.S. — are counselling their students to do them. The event is called the Long Night Against Procrastination.
Designed to help students face writing — with one-on-one coaching and fun components such as pet therapy sessions, tango lessons and yoga — the event runs from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. or even later. The magazine University Affairs once profiled the Edmonton iteration of the Long Night.
I’m glad that at least one associate dean was smart enough to criticize the festivities for teaching bad habits. I work with many doctoral and master’s students — and even with some of their professors — all of whom struggle with developing a sustainable writing habit. I’m often struck by what I perceive to be the lack of support these students (and professors) receive from their schools.
Most schools have effectively abandoned the idea of teaching students how to write. Instead, they focus on grammar and spelling or on the content, which, of course, is essential. But it bothers me that they almost always overlook the psychological aspects of writing — time management, perfectionism and fear — that can turn an essay or a dissertation into a nightmare.
But I don’t want to be a whiner, so let me begin by describing what I like about the long night against procrastination:
- I like that it tries to inject a sense of fun into writing. So many people see writing as something that’s dull or boring or frightening. If tango lessons or cupcakes can make it more entertaining and approachable, that’s terrific. I have no complaints about that — only encouragement.
- I like that the schools are accepting their responsibility to help students write better. I particularly like that they offer one-on-one coaching. Everyone’s writing problems are a little different and these challenges require individual solutions.
- The writing coaches and tutors at the event are better equipped to deal with the psychological components of writing than most professors, who are specialists in their own subject areas but not necessarily in writing.
But here’s what I really dislike about the anti-procrastination night:
- This type of event, ironically, enables procrastination. It makes it seem okay. In fact, procrastination is the last thing students should learn to do. Instead, professors and other academic advisors should counsel them to work on their essays or dissertations a little at a time. They need to learn how to make a plan and how to execute it. The plan needs to be sustainable. Can we all agree that pulling all-nighters is not sustainable? Or even a good idea?
- Of crucial importance — particularly for long-form writers — is the habit of writing every day. Producing a 60,000-word thesis sounds daunting. But if you view it as a 500-words-per-day assignment, you’ll have a rough draft in just 120 days (or 24 weeks if you work only on weekdays, as you should). Doesn’t that sound way more doable?
- Yes, there are negative aspects to writing — loneliness, frustration, dealing with ambiguity — but the best way to address them is not to write through the night. The solution is to write faster. Spend less time writing and more time doing other things that are fun: going to movies, drinking coffee (or beer) with friends, getting exercise. These activities are what will give you the strength to write.
- Isn’t it obvious that anti-procrastination nights will not happen every week — even though you might have an essay due that frequently? Why should anyone teach you to depend on a system that isn’t readily available?
Here’s another idea: If you need to write a book, a bunch of essays or a dissertation — or simply want to develop a more effective writing habit — considering applying to my Get It Done program starting Dec. 1. Application deadline is Nov. 21/24.
An earlier version of this post first appeared on my blog on March 8/16.
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Need some help developing a better, more sustainable writing or editing routine? Learn about my three-month accountability program called Get It Done. There is turn-over each month, and priority will go to those who have applied first. You can go directly to the application form and you’ll hear back from me within 24 hours.
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My video podcast last week addressed how to get started on your book. You can watch the video or read the transcript, and you can also subscribe to my YouTube channel.
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Are you in the habit of pulling all-nighters? How do they make you feel? We can all learn from each other, so please, share your thoughts with my readers and me in the “comments” section, below. If you comment on today’s post (or any others) by Nov. 30/24 , I’ll put you in a draw for a digital copy of my first book, 8 1/2 Steps to Writing Faster, Better. To enter, please scroll down to the “comments,” directly underneath the “related posts” links, below. You don’t have to join Disqus to post! Read my tutorial to learn how to post as a guest. (It’s easy!)
