# Overacheivers--How do you/they do it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 20, 2011, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387 "2011-01-20T22:20:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/21 "2011-01-21T01:40:46Z")
> [@Gestalt](#): > > I wonder how one “becomes” like this if one isn’t inherently like this, or if that is even possible. I do think you’ve described something about these people, the “rush” that most of us get from a good lay or a new record time for a mile or losing 20 lbs is something these people get from every damn thing they do. > > I wonder if it is a difference in neurotransmitters. I remember when I was on ritalin (dop/norep reuptake inhibitor) I was fucking love with EVERYTHING in life. Like, could not wait to get my day started. Not really sure and I think different people are motivated by different things. You can also find things at different points that you just enjoy doing. > [@lindsaybluth](#): > > You gotta have balls the size of Texas to do that shit. Or narcissistic personality disorder. There are some people who just seem genuinely super-enthusiastic about what they do. Then there are other people who it’s like watching a meth-head. Except their drug is themselves. Everything is about fulfilling their every desire regardless of the consequences. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/22 "2011-01-21T01:59:34Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > 1. My mom drinks a shitload of coffee, but the best way to describe her is “high on life”. When she was diagnosed with a pretty slow thyroid, she was sleeping 8 hours a night. She rarely sleeps more than 6, when she was in her 40’s it was more like 5. This is the thing I am most jealous about overachievers. I go to bed around 11 and the alarm wakes me up around 8. I usually lie in bed for a couple fifteen minutes before getting up and doing stuff, but I really don’t wake up mentally till about 10 am. The idea that I could stay up until 2-3 am and have the same energy is unbelievable to me. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/23 "2011-01-21T02:16:39Z")
It isn’t all roses for all of them. It probably sounds like sour grapes, but a few high achievers I have known personally or known of seemed like they were compensating for deep seated feelings of shame or inadequacy. That can drive a person to try to become the exact opposite. So go out and experience something profoundly humiliating, then spend your life trying to cover that wound with a string of achievements, prestige and money. Again, probably in part sour grapes. I’m lazy, not too attractive, moderately educated at best and my career sucks and all these super achievers have accomplished much more than I have or will. But the motives and lives of people who behave like this aren’t always admirable. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/24 "2011-01-21T02:19:13Z")
> [@Gestalt](#): > > I wonder how one “becomes” like this if one isn’t inherently like this, or if that is even possible. I do think you’ve described something about these people, the “rush” that most of us get from a good lay or a new record time for a mile or losing 20 lbs is something these people get from every damn thing they do. > > I wonder if it is a difference in neurotransmitters. I remember when I was on ritalin (dop/norep reuptake inhibitor) I was fucking love with EVERYTHING in life. Like, could not wait to get my day started. > > I am in medical school, so I don’t think I’m super lazy, and while I used to run 45 miles/week, now I’ve cut it down to about 20, so yeah, not great shape. But I sooo want to be like these peeps. In the documentary ‘an unreasonable man’ there was a discussion about high achievers and how they have more dopamine and brain activity in some part of the brain. I forget which one. But I wouldn’t be surprised. The stereotype of the effects of dopamine agonists is mania and productivity. The stereotype of the effects of dopamine antagonists is sleeping all day and being listless. Dopamine is just part of it, but I’m sure it played a role. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/25 "2011-01-21T02:37:18Z")
Actually, in my experience many surgeons are thin because they’re on their feet for 20 hours shifts, chronically exhausted, and consume little but coffee, donuts, copious cigarettes, and booze when they have a free second. As for overachievers in general, I have no idea. Their way of living is alien to me. > [@](#): > > You have to be an athlete to go without food, water, standing on your feet for 8 hours. The mental and emotional strain of being a surgeon is tremendous, but this aspect of the job is hardly challenging, as anyone who works a moderately busy/equipped with hardass manager job in retail or food service can tell you (I have done both). Athleticism is not required to work a busy job on your feet with no breaks. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/26 "2011-01-21T03:20:10Z")
> [@treis](#): > > This is the thing I am most jealous about overachievers. I go to bed around 11 and the alarm wakes me up around 8. I usually lie in bed for a couple fifteen minutes before getting up and doing stuff, but I really don’t wake up mentally till about 10 am. The idea that I could stay up until 2-3 am and have the same energy is unbelievable to me. Have you gotten your thryoid checked out? Or have you tried to scale back your sleep in 15 minute increments? 9 hours is a lot for an adult. But I agree; 5 hours with little side effects are admirable. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/27 "2011-01-21T03:57:58Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > 9 hours is a lot for an adult. No, it’s not. Different amounts of sleep work better for different people. My whole life I have functioned optimally on anywhere from 8-10 hours a night. Never less than 8. My mom never gets more than 6. My roommate sleeps 5 solid hours at night, then takes a 2-3 hour nap in the middle of the day. It is what it is. Now, if you’re getting that much sleep and still chronically tired, then sure you should get your dope and D levels checked. But 9 hours is not too much sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Gestalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90ced4/32.png) [@Gestalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gestalt)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/28 "2011-01-21T04:01:07Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > No, it’s not. Different amounts of sleep work better for different people. My whole life I have functioned optimally on anywhere from 8-10 hours a night. Never less than 8. My mom never gets more than 6. My roommate sleeps 5 solid hours at night, then takes a 2-3 hour nap in the middle of the day. It is what it is. > > Now, if you’re getting that much sleep and still chronically tired, then sure you should get your dope and D levels checked. But 9 hours is not too much sleep. Yeah, having studied sleep a bit myself, I’m going to agree with this. Depends a lot on the individual. ---
**Author:** ![seanchai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@seanchai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seanchai)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/29 "2011-01-21T08:41:45Z")
A close friend of mine is an overachiever. He spent his childhood trying to please his father and failing; his sense of self worth told him that he had to be useful to be accepted. Or a stand-out success to be tolerated. He’s done well in his sphere (he’s a civil servant, quite far up the ladder). However he’s way too focused on making you like him, to ever get into the ‘friend’ category with 99% of the people he meets. His definition of ‘friend’ is what you and I would term ‘friendly acquaintance’. He treats his friends as you would a favourite book - you sit on the shelf until he feels like re-reading you:) an seanchai ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/30 "2011-01-21T09:09:08Z")
> [@Gestalt](#): > > I see what you’re saying with regards to neglecting personal relationships, however, for the high achievers I know, it seems like at least they make it a point to take care of their health and appearance. So they at least make concessions for that. It’s not a concession, they view it as a requirement: of their career, of success; often, their sports are chosen for the networking possibilities (they play golf in Scotland, tennis or squash in Spain). They’re the kind of people who get angry at themselves when they sneeze or discover a zit. At least the AA-type folk I personally know. And the ones I’ve known professionally (which don’t include MDs) often owe their professional success to supporters/subordinates who never get acknowledged; think of research, where often the “principal author” will be a Professor who hadn’t set foot in the lab and did not write the article, while only two of the three people who did the actual physical research and the actual writing see their names among the list of authors (the undergrad who washed pots and spent hours jotting down numbers doesn’t get listed). ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/31 "2011-01-21T09:09:29Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > The day to day of being a dermatologist is absurdly easy; so it appears and so I’ve been told. I had a great doctor once who was about to retire, despite his healthy appreciation for the dollar. He once told me jokingly that if he had it to do all over again he would have become a dermotologist - “Your patients don’t die and they don’t get well.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/32 "2011-01-21T13:25:56Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I had a great doctor once who was about to retire, despite his healthy appreciation for the dollar. He once told me jokingly that if he had it to do all over again he would have become a dermotologist - “Your patients don’t die and they don’t get well.” 😃 Skin cancer ---
**Author:** ![Gestalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90ced4/32.png) [@Gestalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gestalt)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/33 "2011-01-21T14:01:12Z")
Also, from what I know of derm, it can be _super_ tedious. I mean, basically, you look at plaques and moles all day long. Even if I had the smarts to get in (I don’t), I don’t think I’d want to do it. Even radiology seems more interesting. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/34 "2011-01-21T17:20:39Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > And the ones I’ve known professionally (which don’t include MDs) often owe their professional success to supporters/subordinates who never get acknowledged; think of research, where often the “principal author” will be a Professor who hadn’t set foot in the lab and did not write the article, while only two of the three people who did the actual physical research and the actual writing see their names among the list of authors (the undergrad who washed pots and spent hours jotting down numbers doesn’t get listed). I suppose that’s the difference between overachievers and other people. The overachievers make sure they are one of the one or two people who actually get credit for their work while other people just complain about it. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/35 "2011-01-21T18:16:06Z")
Yeah but it’s the “making sure that they are the one or two people” that is the rub. For every one of them who does actually have the knowledge and motivation to do this (and god bless them, truly), there are umpteen semi-sociopathic douchebags who remain afloat by pushing others’ heads under the water and pretending they’re Captain Fucking America. There’s good drive and bad drive. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/36 "2011-01-21T19:50:35Z")
> [@An\_Arky](#): > > Yeah but it’s the “making sure that they are the one or two people” that is the rub. For every one of them who does actually have the knowledge and motivation to do this (and god bless them, truly), there are umpteen semi-sociopathic douchebags who remain afloat by pushing others’ heads under the water and pretending they’re Captain Fucking America. > > There’s good drive and bad drive. I don’t really see a distinction. If there can be only one, why shouldn’t it be me? If you really feel that someone else deserves the honor, then don’t complain when they receive it, I say. It’s a lot harder for the “semi-sociopathic douchebags” to pretend they are Captain Fucking America if you are the one who does all the work and insist on getting the credit for it. Life is competetive. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/37 "2011-01-21T20:30:42Z")
For the overachievers I know, one thing often leads into another: learning one foreign language makes it easier to learn a second, same with musical instruments, sports and so on. And then you get a momentum going; you know the saying ‘if you want a job doing, give it to a busy person?’ I know that applies to my own life - the periods when I’m busiest with one big thing like work or study also tend to be, weirdly, the periods when I achieve most in other areas too. (Not that I’m an overachiever by any standards, but I have had a few periods where I’ve achieved a hell of a lot in a short time). They also tend to have good immune systems. This is partly down to diet and lifestyle, but there’s definitely an element of luck and genetics to it; if you rarely even get a cold or viruses that make you tired, let alone more serious illnesses, that gives you quite an edge over the average person. > [@msmith537](#): > > I don’t really see a distinction. If there can be only one, why shouldn’t it be me? If you really feel that someone else deserves the honor, then don’t complain when they receive it, I say. > > It’s a lot harder for the “semi-sociopathic douchebags” to pretend they are Captain Fucking America if you are the one who does all the work and insist on getting the credit for it. > > Life is competetive. I think the point is that some people are very good at taking the credit even if they weren’t the ones doing the work. I know I’ve seen it happen - someone spends their time schmoozing the boss and making themselves look good, and their colleague doesn’t have time to do that because of the actual work they’re doing, and the schmoozer makes sure they’re the one who does the most visible work and gets their name on every single little thing they spent five seconds glancing at. Plus outright lying. To be fair, this is a skill of sorts in itself, just not a laudable one, and people need to learn to spot it and combat it. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/38 "2011-01-21T21:12:42Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Skin cancer I knew somebody was gonna say something like that. It was a _joke_! It wasn’t supposed to be taken literally. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2011, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/39 "2011-01-22T00:44:52Z")
I do political organizing and non-profit work and I’m between jobs right now. When working, especially in campaign season, I work 12-20 hours a day, 7 days a week. I like what I do, so I’m sure that helps to motivate me. I also really don’t like losing, especially when i’s something I enjoy doing. All that work becomes flushed down the toilet if you lose. That’s a motivator. Edited to add: I don’t know I’m an overachiever, though. I’m certainly not an underachiever. Also, if there’s something to do, sit down, write out a plan, establish goals, and do the damned thing. It sounds lame and trite, but goals and the act of writing it down creates more buy-in. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2011, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/40 "2011-01-22T05:14:46Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I knew somebody was gonna say something like that. It was a _joke_! It wasn’t supposed to be taken literally. I was quoting Seinfeld so it’s ok. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387.md?page=3)