Why Pressure Helps Some People Work Better

The clock is ticking and suddenly you feel your brain work faster.

A man stands in a busy kitchen at six o'clock on a Sunday morning. He needs to cook breakfast for his family before the car arrives. The timer beeps and he feels a rush of energy instead of panic. Some people feel this way under pressure all the time. They say they think more clearly when a deadline is close.

A student sits at her desk with only ten minutes left to finish an essay. The teacher just read the paper out loud in class. She feels a little nervous but her hands move fast over the keyboard. Her old friend told her that she can only write good sentences when someone is watching her work.

Another team works in an office late at night to launch a new product. The manager gave them less time than they wanted, but the team was proud of the challenge. They think pressure forces them to stay focused and not get distracted by small problems during the day.

Some experts say that pressure makes people work harder because they want to prove something is wrong with them. They also know it helps their brain focus on one thing at a time instead of many things. But other people feel the same pressure and become very anxious or tired before they even start working.

You might notice that you feel different when the deadline is near. Think about a time when stress helped you finish something quickly.