How to manage deadlines and other work pressures 

• Plan well ahead: as soon as you know about a deadline, schedule time and do the necessary research and preparation. Don’t leave it to the last minute.
  
  
• If you think the deadline is unrealistic, or you know you can’t make it, acknowledge the problem and discuss it with your line manager as soon as possible. Think about what help and resources you need to meet it.
  
  
• Focus on one deadline at a time. Try not to worry about all the other forthcoming deadlines. There will always be deadlines. Remind yourself you've always managed to meet them in the end.
  
  
• If the deadline applies to a particularly difficult piece of work, talk it through with someone else. This will help you get your thoughts together and tackle the task with more confidence.
  
  
• Delegate sub-tasks if you can.
  
  
• Know when to stop. You may have to accept ‘good enough’. This might be hard if you are a perfectionist.
  
  
• Make sure you have some recovery time after you have gone all out to complete a very tight deadline. It is important rest and recharge your batteries. This is not a luxury. Evidence shows that you are more productive if you have adequate breaks.

When you have a lot on, it is easy to feel overwhelmed (or go into adrenaline over-drive) and try to do everything at once. Doing some simple mindfulness practices can help you focus and take a calmer approach to what needs to be done.

If you have an important piece of work to do:

• Do it first, when you are fresh. Our brains, as well as our bodies, get tired. If you spend time responding to non-urgent emails and tackling easy, more appealing tasks, your brain is tired before you get down to the job that really needs doing. Don’t check emails. Turn off alerts etc until you have made good headway.
  
  
• Use the Franklin-Covey method of prioritising. This involves marking each task as one of the following:
  • a: Urgent and important
  • b: Important but not urgent
  • c: Urgent but not important
  • d: Neither urgent nor important
    
    
• Try the Pomodoro technique. This breaks tasks down into units of 25 minutes, separated by a short break.
  
  
• Take breaks away from your computer/desk to refresh yourself. There is a lot of evidence that the more struggle away at things, the less effective you become. Going for a short walk, doing some stretches or even a few moments daydreaming can help you be more productive – then return to the task in hand.
  
  
• Negotiate working at home, if this helps you work more efficiently.

If you find that the pressure of work is becoming too much and starting to affect your mental health, talk to your line manager. You many need to negotiate your workload or take some time off. It is better to act early than to wait until things get really bad.