I have four PRs out for review, a couple of tickets waiting for me, a soft deadline this Friday and a hard one next week. You could say I’ve been busy.
It’s been one of those weeks where everything happens at once — a few tickets turn out meatier than expected, Slack won’t stop pinging, PMs are checking in to keep the roadmap alive, and meetings appear at the worst possible time.
I love my job. Seriously, I love my job.
Especially during weeks like this. They make me feel alive. There’s a rush that comes from solving problems and organising chaos. It feels like playing a giant game of Tetris, trying to make each piece of work fit exactly where it needs to go. It’s stressful, yes, but it’s the kind of stress that sharpens you.
Over time, I’ve learned not to loathe these periods. I’m not superhuman. I get tired and frustrated like anyone else, but I’ve noticed that my output in these moments is actually higher. It’s as if my brain clicks into a state of flow where everything becomes sharper. I trim distractions, focus only on what matters, and move with precision.
Maybe it comes from my agency days, when I was the only developer on deck and every day felt like diving into the trenches with clients, bugs, and impossible deadlines. You either learned to handle pressure or you burned out. I learned to recognise those high-alert moments and trust myself to rise to them.
There’s still nothing like launch day adrenaline. The tension is high, the timeline tight, everyone’s exhausted, and suddenly all the first bug reports come in. That’s the moment when good developers either crumble or shine.
Being able to work under pressure isn’t the only quality that defines a good developer, but it’s definitely one of them. You don’t want someone who cracks the moment things get difficult. It’s a matter of trust, and of craftsmanship.
Some of this is personality; I’ve always thrived under exams and deadlines. But much of it comes with experience. Once you realise these moments are inevitable, and temporary. You start to prepare your mind for them.
That’s the key: knowing it’s temporary. If high-intensity weeks become the norm, something’s broken in your process. But when they come in waves, your job is to channel the energy, not drown in it.
When pressure builds, don’t rush in blindly. Step back. Look at the big picture. Break the chaos into smaller, manageable chunks. Prioritise the critical pieces, then grab a few low-hanging fruits for quick wins, little victories that build momentum. Communicate constantly so you don’t waste effort. Keep iterating until the dust settles.
Then you’ll feel it. That mix of focus, adrenaline, and relief. The quiet satisfaction of knowing you navigated the storm without losing yourself in it.