Most of us have been here: staring at your never ending to-do list, you need to join a conference call and another large project is winging its way to you. Rather than running screaming to the nearest exit wishing you could revert back to being a teenager, you hold it in and take control! It is hard to work successfully under pressure but it is doable.
How do others make it look so easy? Well they probably use a mixture of the following techniques:
#1 STAY CALM
On the stage if actors make a mistake they ignore it and move on. If you make a mistake, don’t dwell on it, stay calm, and 9 times out of 10 most people won’t have noticed the mistake.
#2 DO YOUR MOST DAUNTING TASK FIRST
Most successful people follow this rule. Choose your most daunting task of the day and do it first thing, before answering emails, before anything. You will feel happier when it’s done and can get on with your day feeling good.
#3 ChOOSE WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL
This will reduce pressure on yourself immensely if you can learn to let it go. You can control your work to a point, but if you are waiting on a colleague in the USA to wake up and are stressing, you cannot control that. If your boss has refused to sign off a project and it disrupts the timeline, you can’t control it! Have a cup of tea & relax!
#4 POSITIVE PLANNING
Create a plan for the day where you give yourself realistic manageable goals and then give yourself a small reward for each one you complete. Positive thinking opens your mind to new ideas, reduces anxiety and increases performance.
#5 STRESS MANAGEMENT
Isn’t it said that exercise is the most underused antidepressant? Studies prove that regular exercise works for reducing stress. Take 20 minutes at lunchtime for a walk and see how much of a difference it makes. You will be pleasantly surprised.
How do you work successfully under pressure? I would love to hear them, leave a comment below