# Overacheivers--How do you/they do it?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387>\
**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:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![statsman1982](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@statsman1982](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statsman1982)\
**Post date:** [January 22, 2011, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/41 "2011-01-22T08:06:40Z")

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> [@msmith537](#):
>
> 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.

Or, as Sean Connery said in _The Rock_:

“Losers whine about their best. Winners go home and fuck the prom queen.”

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**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/42 "2011-01-23T01:40:55Z")

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> [@ultrafilter](#):
>
> I have a friend like this. He keeps a log of what he does each day in fifteen-minute increments, and if he sees wasted time, he feels guilty. I think he’s just wired differently.

I’ve always wondered how it is that this practice–or the habit of making out exhaustive schedules and to-do lists–works so well for some people. If I have to spend too much time working on the schedule or the diary, then I don’t have any time to accomplish the actual tasks.

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**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/43 "2011-01-23T15:06:36Z")

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> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#):
>
> I’ve always wondered how it is that this practice–or the habit of making out exhaustive schedules and to-do lists–works so well for some people. If I have to spend too much time working on the schedule or the diary, then I don’t have any time to accomplish the actual tasks.

Adding a calendar event to my phone/email/Outlook is usually enough for me.

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**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overacheivers-how-do-you-they-do-it/568387/44 "2011-01-23T16:51:10Z")

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I’m a Brit, so maybe its different for foreign doctors (IANAD) ,but citeless I recall reading that Drs have a higher then normal number of alcoholics, smokers and drug abusers.

You might well be right that Drs are superhuman …

But it could also be that you have a "crush"on the profession and suffer from confirmation bias.

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