Introduction
Pressure plays an important role in both personal and professional spheres. It could be overwhelming demands at the workplace or small or ordinary inconveniences that create pressure on an individual. Understanding pressure can help you manage it better and deal with overwhelming situations without getting burdened and exhausted.
Working Under Pressure
Working under pressure means performing under conditions that are challenging or demanding. Whether a situation is challenging depends on individual perception. Looking at pressure healthily brings out your potential energy and strengthens your skills.
“No pressure, no diamonds,” as philosopher Thomas Carlyle said. If the pressure is managed effectively, it can motivate individuals to perform better and achieve the desired goal. Experiencing it yet feeling in control of the situation can spur an individual to achieve goals. If pressure is not handled well the individual can feel the situation is out of control which can create stress and lead to a negative impact on the performance, compromising the quality of work.
The goal is to make pressure work for you and not against you. Individuals can achieve this by drawing a balance between experiencing excessive or insufficient pressure.
How To Work Under Pressure?
- Break tasks into smaller parts: When the task seems overbearing, try to break your difficult tasks into small and manageable parts. Chunking down can make the task less frightening and can empower you to work towards it efficiently.
- Evaluate your priorities: Start by assessing each task on your list and ask yourself which task is important. Evaluate how completing this task would relieve your pressure and clear out space for you to focus on the other tasks.
- Schedule Breaks: When under pressure, people tend to rush into things, which can lead to becoming prone to errors. Take adequate breaks to eliminate accumulated pressure. Take breaks to relax; this will help you re-energise, and you’ll be able to focus better.
- Review past situations: Remind yourself of the previous times when you’re able to deal with the pressure. Identify patterns followed and what lessons you learned from these situations and then develop prevention strategies to mitigate these risk factors. Focusing on past achievements would also help you maintain the confidence to deal with the current situation.
- Change your perspective towards pressure: Instead of looking at pressure in a catastrophic way, it is important to look at it as an opportunity to grow and learn.
Psychological Effect of Working Under Pressure
Pressure pushes individual out of their comfort zone and helps them confront challenges. This experience helps individuals strengthen their strengths and reflect on their capabilities which leads to personal development.
When in pressure, individuals start searching for solutions and creative ways to handle it which helps in being more alert and thinking out of the box which helps in developing problem-solving skills.
The pressure can push individuals to work hard and perform better which instills determination to achieve the goal, hence it helps in motivation.
Furthermore, it improves cognitive functions by improving mental performance and memory.
How To Handle Work Under Pressure
- Stay Calm: To handle pressure better, the first step is to stay calm. The first step is to calm yourself with relaxation exercise, then shift the focus on the present moment, prioritising tasks while also reminding yourself the positive side of the situation.
- Have confidence in your abilities: When under pressure, one is prone to doubt their capabilities. Focusing on your strengths and believing in yourself can help you deal with pressure.
- Stay in the present moment: Staying in the present moment will help you be flexible; you will be able to adapt well to the situation and focus better. Often, people worry about what would happen if they are not able to complete a certain task. This leads to more pressure and efficiency decreases instead of focusing on the present and what strategies can be implemented to handle pressure better.
- Ask for help: If the pressure is too much to handle, it’s better to seek help. You can start by delegating the task and discussing strategies to collectively work on the challenges.
Working Under Pressure Skills
Skills needed for working under pressure include stress management, focus, calmness, decision-making, adaptability, resilience, effective communication, and delivering quality work even in complex situations. It involves prioritising tasks, collaborating effectively with teams, and generating creative solutions.
Teamwork is also an efficient skill for working under pressure as interpersonal skills can help a team collaborate and work together on the task at hand.
A positive attitude is the key skill to working under pressure. Looking at the situation with the possibilities and opportunities would change the whole approach towards the situation.
Conclusion
Working under pressure can lead to psychological, physical, emotional, and behavioural stress. Therefore, dealing with it effectively is an essential skill. Confidence and positive outlook can help thrive better under pressure. This can be achieved by understanding the abovementioned key skills to work under pressure, by instilling them in your daily life.
In conclusion, this will foster growth and improve your quality of work, helping in personal as well as professional growth.
References
- Kent, S., Devonport, T. J., Lane, A. M., Nicholls, W., & Friesen, A. P. (2018). The effects of coping interventions on the ability to perform under pressure. Journal of sports science & medicine, 17(1), 40
- Ferrari, J. R. (2001). Procrastination as self‐regulation failure of performance: effects of cognitive load, self‐awareness, and time limits on ‘working best under pressure’. European Journal of Personality, 15(5), 391-406.
