There’s no doubt that work deadlines can be stressful. When you have too many, you can feel overcome. And nearing deadlines encourages last-minute dashes for the finish line, like when students pull ‘all-nighters’ in an attempt to achieve weeks’ worth of essay writing in a handful of hours.

Yet there’s no question deadlines can serve a positive psychological function-after all, without them, many students might never even finish their work. You can see evidence for the power of deadlines in the ‘real world’, too. For instance, in 2015, when the US National Science Foundation dropped its usual twice-yearly deadlines for grant submissions in geoscience, as part of an attempt to help the overburdened system, the effect was dramatic. Annual submissions fell by 59% without the pressure of a deadline and it seems that many scientists lacked the urgency and motivation to deliver their applications.

As new research findings shed light on the psychology of deadlines, we can learn ways that deadlines can be used to increase focus and boost perseverance.

I was lucky to have an interview with a famous international bank after graduation. I really appreciated this chance. So 1 spent a lot of time preparing very carefully I prepared for all the possible questions ahead. As a result, 1 got the job. While my classmates were still struggling to get a job, I had succeeded in getting one, which made me feel very proud of myself.

After one month of hard training, Today was my first day at work to show the results of the training. I got up as usual, but I decided to skip doing exercise as I did not want to take the risk of arriving at the office late on my first day. I went through my morning routine and spent a lot of time deciding what to wear. I definitely wanted to make a great impression right from the start. Finally, I settled on the white suit with a tie.

I waved to say goodbye to my mother and set off cheerfully towards the bus stop. But l Saw a bus leaving the stop just as I turned around the corner. Now I would have to wait for another 15 minutes, even though time was very precious. I stood there patiently. 15 minutes passed and then 30 minutes, and there was no sign of the bus. Now what could 1 do? I had to reach the office on time. I saw a motorcycle approaching, but as I tried to stop it, the driver sped on without even a glance. It was then that a car stopped near me and a man waved to me. He said, “Aren’t you working at the bank at Nariman Point? My office is in the same building. Can I give you a ride?”

I was uncertain at first but then forced myself to get in as I was going to be late. Gradually, I realized that we were not on the familiar route to my office. I asked the man to stop the car, but he did not listen to me and told me to shut up.

My first year living in Los Angeles, I was a birthday-party clown (小丑). I struggled a lot with my identity because, though I viewed myself as a filmmaker, everyone in my life viewed me as this ridiculous day job. To make matters more confusing, being a clown is itself an identity-masking job. You wear makeup to cover your features. Sometimes I’d have to wear a mask and completely cover my face.

For certain parties, I’d have to go as a specific character. The way that would work is someone from the company would drop off costumes for me the night before a party at an appointed spot. It was like a shameful deal.

One night, they handed me my trash bag and said, “Tomorrow you’re going to be Batman.” Now, keep in mind that at the time I had a giant moustache. I know: a clown with a moustache—that’s a huge red flag for parents. But I hadn’t wanted to change my physical appearance for that job, because that would have been me subconsciously (下意识地) admitting I was more of a clown than an artist, So for the party, I chose not to shave.

The next day, I went to the party. It was at this huge public park, and I had to leave my car parked far enough away so that the kids couldn’t see me getting off my car. So I was all the way on the edge of the park, and the only way for me to get to the party was to walk to it. Normally at these parties, all you have going for you is the element of surprise. You pop in through the front door: “Surprise! Batman’s here!” All the kids go crazy. Without the element of surprise, these visits are meaningless. So I thought, “Should I try to make an entrance (入场) for them?” Reflecting what to do next, I heard a scream, “Look, a Batman with a moustache!” Suddenly, the entire party broke out in laughter.

I was so embarrassed and wanted to run back.

I stared at the cake with a clown wearing a moustache in disbelief.