One of the things that leads to sloppy work is task-switching. We call it multitasking, but in reality, we are just switching our focus back and forth between a range of activities.

It typically takes 20 minutes to regain full attention after a distraction.

When you are under time pressure, you don’t allow yourself to be interrupted. If someone tries to distract you, you irritably wave them away before you lose your train of thought.

This is probably why you feel you thrive under pressure: it is the only time you give yourself, or are given, the opportunity to fully focus on the task.

This works best for synthesis tasks like writing a report or taking an exam.

Creative tasks require a very relaxed brain state, which is why many people report getting their best ideas while gardening.

It is certainly a good idea to follow the planning advice in this article and do creative tasks with as little time pressure as possible.

You can impose your own deadlines for synthesis tasks, to give yourself permission to focus.