HOW TO AVOID THE BULLSHIT TRAP OF “WORKING UNDER PRESSURE”

Burnout is real. Too real, in fact. It is not a great place to find yourself in. Even if your CV screams, “I can work under pressure,” you will definitely crumble under enormous pressure.

It is great that you want to come across as an efficient and capable professional with a robust portfolio, and truly, an impressive track record shows that you can take on whatever task or challenge. However, you must learn to recognize when working under undue pressure.

Unfortunately, many employers will want their employees to take on more responsibility (without any additional pay, of course). They want you to be the social media manager who writes content and copies, designs graphics, and functions as an executive assistant to the boss while ensuring customer satisfaction. (Because, why not? We are one big happy family in this organization, right?)

Bad managers (of which there are a whole lot) typically frame these horrid practices in fancy positive ways like “building your capacity,” “stretching yourself,” or “developing a growth mindset,” all of which are designed to make you feel important. (Thank you, HR.)

It might even make some sense on the surface because it seems that you — the chosen one, are on some kind of fast track to some prize, one which you aren’t sure of, but it feels like something. So, over time, you convince yourself that you like ‘working under pressure” to create better opportunities in the future.

The fake love for burnout

Today, we find that many people have romanticized toxic work conditions and burnout. Everyone wants to come across as the busiest, most productive creative, even when they aren’t getting much done.

This is a counterintuitive way to work. First, you don’t need to prove to anyone how busy you are. Staying till 4 am to finish your work is not the flex you think it is. The only person you need to impress is you.

What you need to do, is to develop a system that enables you to produce the best possible outcomes consistently.

Working under pressure is overrated.

According to recent research, working under undue pressure can significantly reduce energy levels and job satisfaction. Furthermore, this added stress will typically make you resist additional roles despite the long-term benefits of such. Thus, it is clear that even when you’re able to work under pressure on some days, it isn’t a sustainable approach in the long term.

Here are some negative work patterns you must recognize and avoid

• Inefficient multitasking by trying to work on too many projects at once. It is best to focus on a completion-centric approach that ensures you finish each project that you commit to, rather than going around it.
• Not turning down extra gigs even when you have too many tasks you are currently working on. You should know when to say No to new offers. Stretching yourself too thin will only result in poor delivery and less-than-satisfied clients/employers. The most successful creatives are not those who bag every single gig, but the ones who have the freedom to select the projects they most prefer.
• Being unable to defend your work outputs from harsh criticisms and reviews from your superiors. If you cannot confidently speak about your creative process, then you shouldn’t be surprised when someone rightly criticizes the work you create. You should be able to make a case for what value your work provides in the context of the organization’s goals. You can’t do this if you are working under unnecessary pressure.
• Inability to protest about your enormous workload or solo responsibilities. When there is too much work assigned to you, ensure you register your complaints, so as to manage all expectations
• Being unable to separate your deliverables into high-priority or non-priority tasks. Task prioritizing is a vital skill that must be incorporated into your work process, to avoid missing deadlines and inefficiency.

The effects of these negative work patterns are;

• reduced creativity
• brain fogs/ idea blocks
• multiple incomplete tasks
• mediocre outputs
• fear, anxiety, and burnout
• demotion, continuous queries, or termination of appointment.

Clearly, this is not the spot you want to find yourself in, and you must avoid it by all means.

Finally, while it is vital to avoid undue work pressure, you must understand that some level of pressure is expectable and even good for your growth. It is work, and it is supposed to feel like work.

The only difference between healthy work habits and working under pressure is that one level of pressure can be curated and managed for efficiency. But, on the other hand, a huge pile of tension stifles your creativity and efficiency.

Can you now identify the negative patterns you have been working under? Share your comments and tell us what your new approach will be going forward!