How to work under pressure

Jun 03, 2013

Most of you have been on both sides of deadlines where you are working to meet a deadline or the side where you are waiting for everyone else to turn their work in by the deadline.Beating deadlines involves dealing with situations that are constrained by time hence feelings of anxiety and panic

By Joseph Kabuye

Most of you have been on both sides of deadlines where you are working to meet a deadline or the side where you are waiting for everyone else to turn their work in by the deadline.

Beating deadlines involves dealing with situations that are constrained by time hence feelings of anxiety and panic can arise.

The ability to maintain control, evaluate what needs to be done and execute a well-organised plan can greatly minimise the stress of working under pressure and even improve your effectiveness.

Meeting deadlines and achieving objectives is very challenging. The depth of those challenges depends on job size, people involved, number of tasks and complexity. Deadlines are always a source of frustration. It seems that when you have a deadline, everything gets in the way.

There are ways to overcome these obstacles though. You need to be well prepared to tackle all the tasks that come along with the deadline. Planning is key to staying on top of things.

Time management is a huge factor when it comes to deadlines. If you keep up with your work and do not procrastinate, then you should be able to meet your deadlines.

Here are some guidelines to help you meet your workplace deadlines and achieve company goals.

Remain in control


Don’t let yourself think negatively, such as thinking that you can’t complete the task on time. Reacting to pressure in this manner can cloud decision-making and inhibit your ability to think through the work you need to do.


Arguing with yourself about whether you can meet the expectations of an assignment is counterproductive and wastes time.

Assure yourself that you have dealt with pressure before, and realise that staying collected under pressure helps you stay focused and make the right decisions.


Time management


Evaluate what needs to be done before you start work. For example, if you are given one week to complete a ten-page research assignment, give yourself ample time to do both the required research and the writing. Evaluating the task can help you prioritise the importance of different aspects of the assignment.

Plan to avoid procrastination

If you break up an assignment or project into smaller parts, you can set mini-deadlines and greatly reduce the pressure you feel.

Trying to complete a long assignment all at once may lead to burnout. Pacing yourself and working in sections is a more practical approach when you’re working on long and difficult assignments.

Execute the plan you made

Follow your plan to the dot. Try your best to finish the phases of the assignment by the mini-deadlines you have set. When you receive a deadline make sure that it is a reasonable one and if you find that the deadline is impossible, let this be known right away.

Once you have accepted the deadline, there is usually no going back. So address the situation first thing if you feel that the deadline set is unreasonable.

The writer is an industrial and organisational psychologist

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