Page 85 - A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science

willpower on it like it’s cheap air freshener. You shouldn’t waste willpower on
procrastination except when absolutely necessary! Best of all, as you will see,
you don’t need to.
Poison. Zombies. Could it get any better?
Ah yes—there’s experimentation! Bwah hah hah—what could be more fun?

DISTRACTION AND PROCRASTINATION

“Procrastination is one of our generation’s biggest problems. We have so many
distractions. I am always thinking, ‘Before I start my homework, let me just check my
Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and e-mail.’ Before I even realize it, I have wasted at least an
hour. Even after I finally start my homework, I have those distracting websites open in the
background.
“I need to find a way just to focus on my studying and homework. I think it depends a lot
on my environment and the time. I should not be waiting until the last minute to do
everything.”

—A calculus student

Procrastination and Discomfort

Imagine how your calf muscles would scream if you prepared for a big race by
waiting till midnight the night before your first marathon to do your first practice

run. In just the same way, you can’t compete in math and science if you just cram
at the last minute.
For most people, learning math and science depends on two things: brief
study sessions where the neural “bricks” are laid, and time in between for the
mental mortar to dry. This means that procrastination, a terribly common
3
problem for many students, is particularly important for math and science
students to master.

We procrastinate about things that make us feel uncomfortable. 4
Medical imaging studies have shown that mathphobes, for example, appear to
avoid math because even just thinking about it seems to hurt. The pain centers of
their brains light up when they contemplate working on math. 5