The issue of time management in our active life is very relevant. Someone under the pressure of tight deadlines works more efficiently. Someone needs time to think. Both strategies have their psychological cost. Which one will you choose?
I would like to complete the planned tasks and not be distracted by new and spontaneous ones! But alas: no matter how well we planned the day, it is unlikely to go according to the given schedule. There will always be something or someone who will correct this plan. This is how life works, and the workflow is no exception.
We each have our own rhythm. The pressure that comes unexpectedly in the form of additional tasks often results in us working faster or longer to meet our daily “quota”.
For some, the time pressure regime is an additional incentive. Stress motivates, improves performance and is perceived as a challenge. But psychologists do not recommend using such pressure as a permanent tool for strong motivation. Although a recent study also revealed the benefits of a stressful factor, respondents who worked in such a mode noted an increase in tension and irritability.
When additional tasks arise, two strategies are possible: someone tries to pick up speed, and someone stays at the usual pace, lingers in the office and spends more time working.
How do these strategies affect well-being? 100 respondents, employees of five different state organizations in Germany, were asked to keep a diary, where they recorded observations of themselves twice a day.
The researchers were interested in which strategy increased motivation and which led to more irritability and decreased personal well-being. Participants answered questions for ten days: once immediately after the end of the working day and the second time shortly before bedtime. Psychologists asked if they felt the pressure of deadlines, how immersed in their activities and whether they had enough energy for it.
Psychologists call both options coping strategies, because by doing so we adapt our behavior to the changed situation.
In the evening, people were asked whether they were in a bad mood during the day, whether they worked longer than usual, whether they thought about production problems at home, whether they experienced irritation and stress.
Many of those who tried to solve all problems quickly admitted that they experienced a temporary upsurge, but by the evening their strength dried up, irritation appeared even over trifling reasons. It was difficult for many to fall asleep, as the topics of the next day were scrolling in their heads.
Those who preferred to stay longer at work felt more relaxed in the process of completing tasks. However, they did not have time to rest during the night, and in the morning there was less energy. Irritation appeared as a cumulative effect by the middle of the period in which the study was conducted.
Both options – to work faster or longer – psychologists call coping strategies, because by doing so we adapt our behavior to the changed situation. And both appear to have their limitations, the researchers suggest.
Working overtime reduces the time available to us for daily rest. And working at an extreme pace increases efficiency, but in the long run reduces motivation, since the “sprinter” has more risks of burnout.
The best way, psychologists believe, is to alternate modes and prioritize, shifting some tasks to the next days.