I’m writing this because I just realized something. The current sprint ends in two days and I have three tickets that have been sitting in my kanban for a week. And strangely, now is when my brain decides to cooperate.
It’s frustrating. For days I look at those tickets, I know exactly what I need to do, but every time I open the code it’s like my mind turns to jelly. Until the last day arrives and suddenly I become a problem-solving machine.
I don’t have diagnosed ADHD, but this pattern has been haunting me forever. And after years of feeling guilty about it, I’m starting to understand what’s really happening.
The Neuroscience of Pressure
Turns out our brain has two main systems for making decisions:
The automatic system handles routine and familiar tasks. It’s efficient but boring.
The executive system activates when there’s urgency, novelty, or risk. It consumes more energy, but also gives us that intense mental clarity.
The problem is that the executive system needs a compelling reason to turn on. And apparently, my brain doesn’t consider “delivering quality code” compelling enough. But “delivering code before I get in trouble” definitely is.
Dopamine also plays a key role. When there’s a deadline nearby, our brain releases dopamine anticipating both the relief of completing the task and the possible consequence of not doing it. It’s like natural productivity drugs that only activate under pressure.
Why Tickets Become Invisible
I’ve noticed something curious: the longer my tickets sit untouched, the more invisible they become. It’s like my brain develops selective blindness toward them.
I think it happens because when something doesn’t have immediate urgency, our brain categorizes it as “optional” regardless of how objectively important it is. And optional things simply… don’t exist until they stop being optional.
Plus, when there’s no pressure, my mind scatters. I see the ticket, think “oh yeah, this,” but immediately get distracted by Slack, checking if there’s something more urgent, reorganizing my desk. Anything except starting.
Quality Under Pressure (Plot Twist)
Here comes the strangest part: I do my best work under pressure. It shouldn’t be this way, right? Rush is supposed to produce sloppy work.
But when I have few hours and much to do, my brain enters this weird flow state where:
- There’s no time to doubt every decision
- I focus on essentials, not perfecting details
- Pressure eliminates analysis paralysis
- Every line of code has clear purpose
It’s like urgency is the perfect filter for separating important from irrelevant.
Strategies I’ve Tried (And Their Real Results)
Making artificial deadlines: Failed completely. My brain knows perfectly well which dates are real and which I made up.
Breaking into smaller tasks: Helps a little, but I still postpone even the micro-tasks.
Time blocking: Works… until the block time arrives and I simply ignore it.
Pomodoro: Useful once I manage to start, but doesn’t help me overcome initial resistance.
Body doubling: This works better. Working with someone else (even virtually) creates gentle but effective social pressure.
My hybrid system: I have my own productivity system that combines immediate capture, simple kanban, and time tracking. It works well for daily organization, but doesn’t solve the fundamental problem: those tickets still sit there in my “To Do” until real pressure appears.
What Has Actually Worked
Creating friction for procrastination: Instead of trying to force myself to work, I make procrastinating harder. Block sites, leave phone in another room, close Slack.
The 2-minute trick: If I can do something in less than 2 minutes, I do it immediately without thinking. Sometimes those “2 minutes” become 30 and I’m already in flow.
Deadline stacking: When I have multiple tickets, I organize them to have staggered deadlines. The pressure from one pushes me to work on all. My kanban becomes more active when there’s real urgency.
Changing environment: Sometimes simply moving to another place (café, living room, even another desk) resets my mental state.
Radical Acceptance
After years of fighting this, I’m starting to work with my pattern instead of against it.
I accept that I’m a deadline procrastinator. I accept that my best work comes under pressure. I accept that my brain needs urgency to function optimally.
But I also accept that this isn’t sustainable long-term. The chronic stress of always living on the edge accumulates. And there are limits to how much you can stretch this system before something breaks.
The Search for Balance
I don’t want to completely eliminate pressure - clearly my brain needs it to function. But I do want to be more intentional about when and how I use it.
My goal isn’t to become someone who works constantly with weeks of anticipation. That goes against my nature. But I do want to reduce the level of chaos and anxiety.
Maybe the answer isn’t to fight this pattern, but to better design my deadlines. Create systems that give me the pressure I need without unnecessary drama.
A Final Reflection
Writing this has made me realize something: maybe I’m not as broken as I thought. Maybe my brain simply works differently, and instead of trying to completely change it, I can learn to optimize it.
Deadlines are my fuel. Pressure is my catalyst. And it’s okay if that’s my formula, as long as I’m conscious of it and use it intelligently.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to move those tickets from “To Do” to “Doing” before the sprint ends.