This Daily Post writing prompt from July 18, 2015 is not only the name of a 1980s movie soundtrack song (you know what it is), but also poses a question.
Do you thrive under pressure or crumble at the thought of it? Does your best stuff surface as the deadline approaches or do you need to iterate, day after day to achieve something you’re proud of? Tell us how you work best.
While I don’t crumble under pressure, it is the worry of negative consequence that gets me into overdrive. Once I’ve started doing something, I can get my head around things and in most circumstances, I’m fine. The exception for me would be “I need 100 copies of this, but it is this huge packet and you have ten minutes to complete it.”
Um, what?
First of all, that should never be the case with anything. If you needed it badly, you would have said something much sooner than ten minutes before you needed it (as in, I hope you’d say something the day before, or even an hour before!). Second, I’ve seen people completely crumble over something like this…or less. I’ve been the cool head of situations where I wanted to be the one ripping my (already short, thin, and ultra-fine) hair out.
My best work performance usually does happen on a deadline, but where I work, there is hardly ever a rush or deadline. I do have one monthly project that I get ten days to complete, but could potentially have to fix within the five days after I turn the work in, and the time it gets certified, which is something I’m always prepared for. If there is ever a rush, it is usually because something changed suddenly, or someone was otherwise unprepared. Being a Secretary, I’ve learned to be ready to do something on short notice and in a timely manner, but I’m never phased by any of this.
Allison's Written Words