Always Asking Why (?) - Sarah's ramblings: Pressure prompted

Friday, January 28, 2011

Pressure prompted - that is how I get things done

One of the subtleties of the Myers Briggs profile is called pressure prompted. You know those people that you work with who when given a deadline don't start on the task right away. If you are an early starter, we drive you crazy, because as soon as you get a task with a deadline you start right away. We don't. In fact if I start on the task right away it makes me anxious. How I get things done is a last minute burst of energy right before the deadline. My work is not inferior to those who start right away. I get energized by that last minute burst of energy, and I rarely miss a deadline. I often bring this up in my workshops on Myers Briggs because I think this is one of the areas at work that can cause the most conflict. Early Starter or Pressure Prompted. Think about which one you are. Does the other type drive you crazy, or make you anxious?

Some of the judgements we make about the other type are very interesting. When an early starter asks me for a progress report, or gives me their update on what they have done so far, I ask myself "What is their hurry?" or "Why are they so up tight we have two more days until the deadline?". Early starters look at me and say "Why has she not started yet?" "Can I trust that she will get this done on time?"

When I discovered this little subtlety of the Myers Briggs it made me relax when I start working on something. I know I can turn on the gas and get it done in that last minute burst of energy. This came up for me as I write my testimonial for "Why I come to Church" that I will deliver on Sunday, two days from now. Today is Friday and I sat down yesterday in about 45 minutes and wrote 90% of it. I will polish it up in the next two days but for the most part it is done, and early in my mind.

Don't get me wrong, occasionally I will count on getting something done at the last minute and LIFE HAPPENS, and I don't have enough time. I think though that I have practiced this enough, and feel comfortable that this is how I work. Starting something "too early" makes me too anxious.

Are you pressure prompted or early starter? Does this cause you conflict when working on deadlines with others?

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