When the Deadlines Stack Up: How I Stay Grounded (and Human) Under Pressure
Eric Schultheiss
Senior Technical Project Manager/Product Manager @ Consultant | Information Technology Management Consultant
There’s a moment in every high-stakes project where the tabs outnumber the hours in the day, the meetings won’t stop multiplying, and your calendar starts to feel like a block of expired Tetris pieces.
For me, that moment hit during a particularly hectic kickoff to the year: we were simultaneously building out our VP’s annual goals and reading out performance from the year before. The stakes were high, the timelines were tight, and the visibility was, well… let’s say “executive-level.”
As a remote Technical Product and Project Manager in a matrixed org, these moments aren’t rare. They’re part of the job. But over time, I’ve learned that surviving them — without burning out or accidentally snapping at the one person who actually turned in their slide on time — requires more than just a solid plan. It requires a support network. And not just for help with the work, but to help keep me grounded, clear-headed, and showing up as the leader I want to be.
Here’s what’s worked for me when the pressure is on:
1. Build Your Circle Before You Need It
In the same way you don’t wait until production to test your integrations, you shouldn’t wait for a crisis to start building your support system.
Over the years, I’ve cultivated a group of trusted peers — both inside my team and in my broader professional network — who I can text when I need a gut check, a confidence boost, or just someone to say, “Yeah, this is a lot. But you’ve handled worse.” These aren’t always people who are on the project. Sometimes, it’s even better when they’re not. They help me zoom out, breathe, and remind myself I’m not defined by my to-do list.
2. Get Ruthlessly Clear on the Plan
When overwhelm hits, the first thing that disappears is clarity. Suddenly everything feels equally urgent, and your brain starts playing that fun little game called “What Am I Forgetting?”
That’s when I know I need to hit pause and lay out a roadmap — even if it’s just for myself. During that annual goal/performance readout crunch, I carved out time to whiteboard (digitally, of course) the big picture. What needed to happen, when, and who owned what.
Once I could see the moving parts, the panic started to subside. I wasn’t drowning — I just needed a swim lane.
3. Lean On the Team, Don’t Just Lead the Team
This one took me a while to learn. As someone who thrives on organization and accountability, I used to think my job was to shield my team from the chaos. But I’ve found that inviting them into the planning — letting them see the pressure points and help solve them — not only creates better outcomes, it builds trust.
And to be honest, they’ve returned the favor. More than once, a teammate has pinged me and said, “Hey, you okay? Want to talk through it?” That kind of emotional check-in, especially in a remote environment, makes a huge difference. It keeps us human. And that’s the kind of team culture I want to be part of.
4. Have a ‘Pressure Protocol’
I’ve started developing a kind of personal checklist for when the heat is on. It includes:
It’s not always perfect. But it helps me stay aligned with how I want to show up — especially when I’m running on fumes.
Final Thoughts: You Don’t Have to “Power Through” Alone
There’s this unspoken pressure in tech and product leadership to be unshakeable — to meet every deadline, answer every question, and smile through the stress. But the truth is, no one leads well from a place of depletion.
Creating a support network — both logistical and emotional — isn’t a luxury. It’s part of the job. It’s what allows me to stay present, make sound decisions, and be the kind of leader who lifts others even when I’m carrying a heavy load.
And when I do finally come up for air? I always try to be that person for someone else. Because if we’re all in this together… let’s actually act like it.