Working Under Pressure

Question Of The Week: Do you work better under pressure? Why or why not? Leave a comment and join the discussion!

12 Responses to “Working Under Pressure”

Lasha says:

Yes, I most certainly work best when under pressure. I always tend to procrastinate when I have time on my hands to complete a project or assignment. Then, when it comes down to the last minute, all the magic rolls out nicely. The quality of work is almost always good.

I know it’s not a fantastic trait or anything, but it get’s me through. If I worked in an agency environment, I’m sure things would be different. I would be motivated to do my work promptly – probably so I can go home on time only to procrastinate a little more. Haha.

I seriously need to lose the habit though. There are a ton of small projects I have started on and a million things I want to learn. I know I’ve got a while to learn everything I want (now, at least), but I just need to find the will power within me to break through and take control!

September 18th, 2009 at 5:09 am

David Townsend says:

Eustress is a great word. It means the optimum level of stress – Enough that you work to alleviate it, but not enough to cause distress.

On a personal note, I find that waking up in the morning and needing to get something out of the way asap is a great motivator, especially now I’m self-employed. But waking up and needing to get more done than you can, yesterday, just leads me to drink.

September 18th, 2009 at 5:40 am

Aaron says:

I thrive off of pressure. Not only does the time go by faster but my work churns out better. However this is a double edged sword because I am often prone to procrastinate, knowing that I can produce last minute and it doesn’t always work out.

September 18th, 2009 at 12:02 pm

Kitty says:

As a freelancer I often apply more pressure on myself rather than the client. But, I do try not to get too crazy on that, as Aaron, I too work faster and better most of the times. The most important thing is knowing the project’s details so the results can be easily achieved.

September 18th, 2009 at 3:57 pm

Brett Nyquist says:

Deadlines or timelines are crucial for me. If a project doesn’t have any set timelines in place it tends to get thrown to the back of the queue. Even if the client doesn’t impose any mandatory hard line stages of completion then I will implement my own so that I can better manage all of my on going projects.

Working under pressure seems to help me not get stuck on little details that have no significance on the finished product. If I know have a lot of time I tend to put too much thought into and start to question certain things. Knowing that the project is due in a few days or whatever helps me focus on what really matters for that project.

September 19th, 2009 at 3:11 pm

Doubledown Tandino says:

I work better under pressure…

… yet I hate working under pressure.

September 19th, 2009 at 3:16 pm

Sneh Roy says:

I think it is the Law Of Nature or something that makes serious freelancers and entrepreneurs the biggest “Pressure Creators” [is that even a term? lol]. It is also very natural to “get things done” under pressure, whether they are just done or done better is another story altogether.

For me, I work very fast under zero pressure. Under pressure I probably work maybe 100 times faster. But I usually work at a speed that gets my work done way before deadlines to avoid the added stress that comes with pressure. But if a client calls me tonight and says he needs things done tomorrow, the adrenaline surge not only heightens all my design senses but also makes my limbs function faster lol. So you can say I “work” under pressure.

September 19th, 2009 at 3:28 pm

Shanna Korby says:

Pressure = focus.
Focus = better work.

I most definitely work better under pressure. If the client doesn’t give me a deadline or a goal, I will make one of my own.

September 19th, 2009 at 4:02 pm

Paula says:

According to everyone around me, I thrive under pressure. I’m not aware of it. In my opinion, I like to design when my relaxed but more often that not, I procrastinate. My designs usually turn out well. But there is a line. I agree with David A. There are times where a little stress can be inspirational whereas a large list of tasks and a looming deadline can be detrimental to one’s sanity.

After spending many caffeinated nights during my undergrad with other design classmates in a computer lab on campus, procrastination is common trait in designers. From the Starbucks field trips to 3 am meltdowns, everyone in attendance procrastinated. But I don’t think this a trait that all designers share.

So yes, I can the pressure.

September 19th, 2009 at 7:19 pm

Aoobi says:

I work better under pressure…

… yet I hate working under pressure.

September 19th, 2009 at 8:41 pm

Victoria says:

It depends on the people. If the person is adrenaline loving, then the rised adrenaline by the pressure makes him creative, gives him a clear point of you, helps him to see the easiest way of doing the things. If the person is adrenaline averse, then the adrenaline has the opposite action, the adrenaline blocks his senses and makes him blind and unhandy. And of course if the person is adrenaline neutral, he is neutral and do his best when he is in the golden mean. I am a 100% adrenaline loving person and adrenaline makes me feel alive and capable to do everything just in time.

September 20th, 2009 at 3:46 am

John says:

Pressure can be a good thing and I don’t mind. Some clients may not always handle it as well and that can make for a extremely stressful experience.

September 21st, 2009 at 1:47 pm