The work place is where people mostly contend with a lot of pressures. Although pressure can also originate outside the work environment, work-related pressures are often more pronounced as they invariably involve time constraint. Thus, time pressure is considered as the most common type of pressure in corporate organisations.
One of the key skills employers often seek in potential employees is how they are able to deal with pressures and meet deadlines. Pressure can improve our performance. For instance, one can become highly task-oriented and focus on the immediate areas under pressure. However, this may be at the detriment of other vital aspects of one’s life, especially relationships.
Time pressure is basically when you have too much to do within too little time. In the context of this definition, it is important to understand time management as an efficient allocation of scarce resources which is time. A number of activities will have to take place to efficiently allocate your time among several things that compete for it.
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Analyse your Choices based on your personal values
First you need to be aware of the choices you have to make as they relate to your personal values and overall life. Some people often find it very difficult to say no as they seek to please people or avoid hurting people’s feelings. These people invariably turn out to be the ones who get hurt with a feeling of being used due to their lack of assertiveness.
Always endeavour to set clear boundaries especially if you are being demanded to work on something that is clearly outside of your area of responsibility or expertise. Alternatively, you can delegate tasks. Delegation of tasks is a very useful skill to develop as a strategic leader or business executive. This will help you get things done faster leveraging on the available human support you could get.
Be realistic about your strength and weakness
Inordinate exuberance due to lack of self-awareness often leads to pressure. For example, when you take up a task without critically analyzing it and you discover the task is beyond your capacity, the pressure grows more intense as you are accountable to others and your reputation is on the line. Therefore, it is advised that you are more realistic about your strengths and capabilities while setting goals or committing to a task or deadline.
Conduct a time audit
Analyse how various activities of your life are feeding on your time and how you are responding to them. For example you can ask yourself the following questions:
What is the balance between the demands placed upon me at work and those that define my private life? Does this balance satisfy me, or do I find myself sacrificing one element for another?
One key to good time management is being aware of the wider world in which you live and the interrelationship between its component parts. Another key is knowing how to prioritize your activities. You can adopt the Steven Covey’s four quadrants of the highly effective people to set your priorities; what is important, what is urgent, what is both urgent and important and what is both not urgent and not important.
Learn to use the right tools
One of the things that distinguish us human beings from the rest of the living beings is our ability to use tools. There are numerous tools that you could engage which will help you get your job done faster and more easily as against relying solely on your human effort. For instance, having a to-do-list can save you a lot of trouble that may accompany your tendency to forget a task. Some common commercialized tools you could use at the office include; Calendly, Quick book, ProofHub, ChatGBT etc.
It is said that time management tools and techniques are only as effective as the time invested in using them. If you are planning to have a new device to help you manage you time effectively, you also need to plan the time to accustom yourself with the tool and master it.
Effective Communication
When people have saddled you with a responsibility, you owe them consistent feedback until the task is completed. However, contingencies could develop that may prevent you from meeting the deadline. When this happens, you need to clearly communicate to them what the problem is and the effort being made to salvage the situation. This is highly likely to get you empathy and more support from the people to enable you to navigate your current challenges; it also breeds trust and better connection.
You need to observe your own behaviour, seek feedback and evaluate whether you believe there is an issue or not. The earlier you recognise it, the easier it is to ensure that the negative impact of pressure is alleviated.
Have an interesting private and social life
You can also have some more personal coping mechanisms such as using your work time-off on a vacation. You should also prioritize your break-time; it is your personal time to rejuvenate by giving yourself a good meal or a quick nap or socializing with your peers. Also endeavour to exercise regularly and have a hobby that is connected to your job or workplace.
Resource:
Good Small Business Guide 2012: How to start and grow your own business. Bloombury