How to Stay Productive When Under Pressure

Can stress be a good thing?

Moderate amounts of stress are a natural outcome of pushing oneself to achieve things that matter. Staying productive under short-term stress is usually not a problem. Staying productive under long-term stress can quickly become a problem.

To be clear, it is unhealthy to be under prolonged pressure or stress. If you find yourself in such situation, and you are becoming negatively affected, consult a health professional. Do not be a victim of the false virtue of busyness without rest and recovery.

With limited time to do so much, and with renewed societal emphasis on its definition of success amidst a growing hustle culture, it becomes easy to take on too much. There are insightful studies around the brain’s capacity to focus on multiple tasks at the same time. Remember that your abilities are finite in nature. You cannot do everything, for everyone, every time, and still have enough of you left for yourself. You matter. Your life matters. Your dreams matter. Avoid a superhero-complex and realize that it is not selfish to shape your lifestyle to leave enough in reserve for the pursuit of your dreams and goals.

Your desire to go to school, develop a career, raise a family, to do something significant to change the world all matters. But you may never get to do those things if you give everyone what was meant as your personal fuel. There is a difference between being selfish and being self-focused for the right reasons. Pick any person of great renown. What did they achieve? How do you think they achieved it? Would they have achieved it if they had worn themselves out pursuing something other than that thing they are known for? I used to think Rosa Parks was just some woman on a bus who was suddenly thrown into the civil rights movement by a spontaneous decision to be defiant. I have learned that she had been a part of the movement before she got on the fateful bus. The point is every successful person got there by conscious or deliberate effort. Yes, some of the things they had to do would have involved a great deal of pressure, such as freedom fighters around the world who endured violence and great duress – even loss of life, to achieve their aims. For them, the stress was worth it because of the goal they had in sight. Now, you may not be a freedom fighter; but if you are going to endure some stress, let it be for a life you will be proud of, and for which history will remember you favorably.

The actor, Chadwick Boseman’s death was painful to learn of. It was only after his death that most people became aware of the extent of sacrifices he made, to give the world what he did through his art. Spike Lee said of directing him in Da 5 Bloods that if he had been aware of Chadwick’s condition, he would not have pushed him to take on some of the more physically demanding scenes. How was Chadwick able to perform so selflessly? I can only guess that his dream was to impact the world through his body of work. He probably made up his mind when he learned of his diagnosis that he would conserve his strength more consciously to give his best to the productions he was going to be part of. Some of the directors that worked with Chadwick before his passing spoke of the love and care he got from his team. They made sure he had enough to give his absolute best to every performance.

Dare I say that though you may not afford or have such a team around you, if you are struggling to find a balance, you can find a way to be more responsible for your own care. Know what your body and mind can and cannot take. Determine to give your best performance in life by making good wellbeing decisions.

If you are dealing with negative stress while trying to stay productive, here are a few more takeaways:

• Identify the source of stress.
• Is the stress related to a task at hand, or is it in connection to things going on in your life?
• If you work under excessive pressure, could you change where and how you work?
• If you have a demanding boss or manager, consider having a conversation about the impact of their pressure on your ability to remain productive. If you do not have clearly defined targets, sit down, and draw up such. Agree that if you meet your targets, even with time to spare, there is no need to place additional pressure on or micro-manage you.
• Availability of money can be a stressor. What can you do to improve your financial situation?
• Are technology and social media contributing to your stress?
• Avoid pandemic/lockdown exhaustion. Limit the number of online activities you engage in. They take a toll on the mind. The mind can only process so much at a time, so, avoid attention deficits by shutting down when you should.