It's the Middle of the Night
What do you do when it is the middle of the night, you have a deadline, and you can’t do work? Watch the first two-minute video in this series to get motivated, then choose your path forward by watching video two or three.
It's the Middle of the Night—Start Here
It’s late. You have an imminent deadline and cannot do the work.
What should you do? You need to regulate before you motivate.
Try one of two things. Breathe or move.
I know you are thinking I don’t have time for this, but these few minutes will actually allow you to be productive.
To breathe, you want to sit comfortably or lie down. Take slow, deep breaths.
In through the nose, out through the mouth. Make your exhale longer than your inhale.
Don’t just do 1 or 2 breaths and stop. To feel a true benefit, try 6 or 8 breaths.
This kind of breathing triggers your parasympathetic nervous system and shifts your brain into a more relaxed state.
You can now access the more solution focused part of your brain.
Of course, for some people this won’t feel comfortable and that’s okay.
Instead, move. You can also move your body and get your heart rate up.
Do some lunges, stretches, or walk outside. Even a few minutes can be beneficial.
Exercise increases blood circulation in your body, which means an increase of oxygen in your brain and improved brain function.
For some, this won’t feel comfortable, and that’s okay too.
We just suggest you attempt one of these strategies to your comfort level.
It’s important to begin by working directly with your body to regulate your emotions.
Once your brain gets out of flight or fight mode,
accesses more oxygen, and receives signals that you are safe, it can shift into a more thoughtful, solution-focused state.
Positive self-talk and other strategies have a chance to be effective.
Once you’ve regulated your body, you can think about doing your work.
Next step. Choose one of the next two videos in this series.
Here’s how to contact us. Thanks for watching.
It's the Middle of the Night—Get It Done
Work. Break. Repeat. Get it done. Say you’ve breathed or moved.
You’re calmer and more alert. What is next?
Although it might seem like you need to run a marathon, it’s best to approach your work as a series of sprints and rests.
Set a timer for anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, the amount of time you can work steadily without getting distracted.
Then take a short break to breathe, move, or rest and back at it again.
Research tells us that people are more productive when they take frequent, regularly scheduled breaks.
Work. Break. Repeat. It’s okay if work periods need to get shorter as the night wears on.
It’s also okay to take a nap, as long as you set an alarm and can get yourself up again. Or take a walk.
Talk to a friend. Have a dance party.
This time out, followed by even a semi productive work session is much better than hours of staring at your work like a zombie.
A break can also be about a snack and something to drink.
We understand that some of you won’t be able to bring yourself to take a nap, or a longer, rejuvenating break.
At least take time for something. And another thing,
Avoid perfectionism. Embrace self-compassion.
Now is not the time to strive for perfection.
It’s time to get the project done. Something, however imperfect, is always better than nothing.
Research shows that the best way to get back on track when you’re feeling derailed
is to speak to yourself with kindness and compassion rather than criticism.
You can even give yourself a mantra. This is good enough.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. I can do this.
Hopefully you’re able to complete your project and then get some real sleep.
If you hit a wall and simply can’t continue, do not skip class the next day and avoid your professor.
Email what you have. Ask about your options.
But don’t put yourself through this again. Change something up. Meet with someone in Learning Resources to figure out how to do that.
I urge you to take one action after watching this video.
So start working. When you get distracted, take a break.
Repeat. Here’s how to contact us.
Thanks so much for watching.
It's the Middle of the Night—Hand It in Late and Communicate
Hand it in late and communicate. Say you have breathed or moved, but you have still got a long way to go.
Ask yourself, do I really have the capacity to keep working?
Can I do my best work right now? Does the project absolutely have to get done tonight?
Look for a late work policy on your syllabus. Weigh the pros and cons.
You are not in an ideal situation here, but maybe your brain is done for the day.
What if a good night’s sleep is more important than five points off your grade?
Say you make the call. You’re not doing the project tonight.
But before you go to sleep, email your professor.
Do not just not hand in your project.
Communicate. Here’s an email template incase you want to pause and take a screenshot.
Respectful formal tone. State the facts.
No need to sugarcoat it. Offer a brief explanation if you can, and take responsibility.
Choose only what fits your situation, of course. Make sure you double check the syllabus.
Then propose a course of action. Say you want a meeting.
Offer some specific times. But maybe you only want more time.
You don’t have to offer a new due date, but if you do,
make sure your proposed date is reasonable given the demands of your other classes and priorities, and sign off.
Now you can go to sleep. But the next day, if you have class, talk to your professor.
They may not have received your middle of the night email, so it’s a good idea to check in.
And then you still have to do the project and you don’t want to put yourself through this again.
So consider signing up for a Learning Resources appointment. We can connect you to other resources.
Break your project down into smaller, more manageable chunks.
Discuss focusing strategies specific to what you’re facing and more.
Now go and do two things. Number one, write that email.
Number two, go to sleep. You need it.
Here’s how to contact us. Thanks so much for watching.