At one point or the other, we all deal with pressure both in our personal and professional life. There are days our jobs or businesses would be very demanding and performing tasks under pressure becomes a necessity. It can be overwhelming especial when we have limited time.

Think of a time you were under pressure, how did you respond? Were you calm or you felt overwhelmed? Did it bring out the best or worst in you?

Learning how to work under pressure in a healthy and productive way is very important because it helps to reduce burnout, helps you deliver your task on time and keeps you calm.

In this post, I will show you the 10 tips that would help you work under pressure and meet deadlines

Let’s get started

1. Make a to-do list

To-do lists are running lists of every task you need to complete.

Outline your priority, make the most important things come first and less important things should come below. Set a time limit for yourself for every activity on your list and try to beat up that time. Don’t make the mistake of setting a deadline that you can’t meet, analyse the complexity of the work and estimate a reasonable amount of time to get it done. Listing your task will motivate you to achieve them because it makes them clearer and direct.

2. Be calm

Calmness can be very powerful because it helps keep your thoughts clean and keeps your mind at rest. Panic and worries will waste your time and energy unnecessarily.

Being calm doesn’t just make you think logically but it enables you to make decisions appropriately. It gives your mind clarity and enables you to provide possible solutions to your problems. 

3. Learn to say no

Part of the prioritization process is to learn how to say no. Reject unrealistic requirements right from the start. If you have so much to do and you’ve been requested to do something else please politely say no. This is important because the other party won’t get disappointed in you for not meeting up and you would be able to focus on the task at hand. 

In a situation where you can’t say no, you should look for help in order to meet up.

4. Stay focused

Focus on what you are doing now, do not think about the future or the past. Constantly remind yourself of the task at hand, multitasking may feel like you are getting more work done but having to think about so many things at the same time can leave you feeling burned out or disorganised.

A noisy environment can reduce your level of productivity, for example, phone calls, colleagues talking, sounds of desk clutter etc.

Allowing your mind to wonder about would prolong the task at hand. Focus your time, effort and attention on just one task.

5. Only commit to what you can do

Never agree to an impossible deadline to please someone otherwise this would do more harm than good, it can lead to your boss losing trust in you or even your customer. It can leave you feeling stuck and irritated.

6. Split larger tasks into smaller tasks

Having a limited time to complete a given task can make the task at hand look overwhelming and difficult to achieve.

The best way to deal with this is to break down the bigger task into series of smaller and achievable tasks. Set a deadline for each of the smaller tasks. This would help you to stay on track and complete the whole project in a timely manner and will help to reduce stress.

7. Learn to delegate tasks

Delegation is a key component of success. You don’t expect to do everything all by yourself.

Delegation is a life-saving tip. It helps empowers others, helps with their personal and professional development and also helps you save time. If someone is better at a particular task than you are, it would be great to delegate that task to them, they would be able to complete it in less time and probably in higher quality.

8. Stop procrastinating

Pressure is mostly a result of the failure to prioritize and act.

putting off certain tasks when you have more time on your hands can make a rod for your own back. Procrastination causes stress and can affect your ability to do well in your job.

Procrastination is a habit and can be hard to break. But, by being persistent, you can force yourself to act rather than resist. This will help ease the pressure later on.

9. Learn to prioritize

How do you spend your time? Do you spend it on important tasks or less important ones? It is very crucial to learn to spend your time on the important task and understand that among the important task there are those that need to be done now because of their level of urgency.

10. Develop and stick to a routine

Creating a daily schedule helps you to focus on the task at hand. For example, Runners who train for marathons and diligently adhere to daily practice are most likely to cross the finish line.

Start by creating a weekly schedule, then break it down into daily tasks. These routines will help you stay committed to the tasks at hand and will prepare you to tackle any unexpected situation.

In conclusion, the ability to work under pressure is a great skill that everyone should develop because things may not always go as easy and smooth as we have imagined. Never neglect your physical and mental health. You can relieve pressure by taking a deep breath, taking a walk and requesting help when necessary.