Create! Words or Otherwise

In other words, the science behind procrastination all comes down to how human beings relate to time (which from a physics standpoint I think is a bit skewed anyway – but I’ll save that for another article). There are some legit ways we can fool our brains into not procrastinating though, or at least not procrastinating as much. That’s where the science behind it all comes into play.

In our conversation, we talked about ways that math and art are alike, and how adopting the right mindset can lead to breakthroughs in creativity. Strogatz, who has experimented with making drawings and is coincidentally married to an artist, says the professions definitely share affinities: "We're all trying to express ourselves. We're also struck by the wonder in the world around us." Here are Strogatz's top insights about the creative nature of mathematics, which are relevant to any creative person.

"Why does such a simple writing exercise have such a big impact? The answer has to do with the content of the writing itself. Writing reduces people's tendency to ruminate because it provides them with an opportunity to express their concerns. Expressing concerns gives people some insight into the source of their stress, allowing them to reexamine the situation such that the tendency to worry during the actual pressure-filled situation decreases.

Worries are problematic because they deplete a part of the brain's processing power known as working memory, which is critical to successfully computing answers to difficult test questions. Working memory is lodged in the prefrontal cortex (at the very front of our heads, sitting just above the eyes) and is a sort of mental scratch pad that allows people to "work" with whatever information is held in consciousness, usually information relevant to the task at hand. When worries creep up, the working memory people normally use to succeed becomes overburdened. People lose the brain power necessary to excel.

For several decades, psychologists has been extolling the virtues of writing about personally traumatic events in your life, such as the death of a close family member or a difficult breakup. Time and time again, psychologists have found that, after several weeks of writing about a life stressor, people have fewer illness-related symptoms and even show a reduction in doctor's visits. "