NaBloPoMo: One

Prompt 1: Do you work well under pressure?

Pressure ought to be my middle name. 

I thrive working under pressure. I know that's not the healthiest way to accomplish things, but it's always worked for me. Ask anyone who knew me in high school and they'll tell you that I put everything off until the last minute. It would drive my mother insane to watch me not touch something until the last possible minute. My dad was the same way, which is where I like to think I inherited the thrill of working under pressure. My procrastination has never come back to bite me in the rear, thank goodness, but I attributed that to my obsession with keeping things organized.

Typical work set-up during a semester for me.

In high school, I thrived on having a full plate. During my senior year, I took three dual enrollment courses, three high school courses, held a part-time job, and had an internship while completing a year-long senior project. I procrastinated on assignments and projects all throughout my undergraduate career. I graduated cum laude a semester early because I put so much on my plate to get it done (plus held down a job). As a graduate student, I continue my procrastination tendencies. I'm halfway through my program right now and I'm maintaining a 4.0 GPA. I'm only a part-time grad student (taking the next two semesters off to welcome baby girl into the world), but I work 40 hours a week and volunteer with a civic organization. Oh yeah, I'm also a wife to a man who is involved in high school athletics (which makes our schedules ridiculous) and about to become a mom. No pressure there, right?

I try not to procrastinate in my career though. Procrastinating at work can not only hurt me, but it can have a ripple effect with my coworkers and superiors. I do let smaller projects slide for a bit when I'm focusing on larger, more important projects, but I try very hard to balance all of my responsibilities. I'm fortunate that I don't feel a lot of pressure from my superiors. However, I do pressure myself to not repeat storytime themes, come up with new programs, and stay on top of the latest books as much as I can so I can do my job to the best of my abilities.

The pressure I impose on myself does make me crack though. I have had several meltdowns where I feel like I just can't handle things anymore... but somehow, I manage to get things done to my standards. My husband constantly tells me to stop stressing because I always accomplish what needs to be done. My prayer is that our daughter-to-be does not inherit this pressure "trait" from me, but rather inherits my husband's calm and collective nature about accomplishing things. I also pray that becoming a mother will calm me down a bit and force me to evaluate the true importance of all the dishes I'm juggling. In return, I hope to give myself more grace in many areas and accept that the pressure isn't needed and that all will  be OK.