Under pressure

A funny thing I've noticed is that, although I really dislike stress, I work very well under pressure. When the hammer drops and there's a looming deadline, it's easy to keep moving, keep making decisions and do the best I can under the circumstances. This seemed like a paradox, until I recently realised that the difference has a lot to do with practice vs performance. In a high pressure situation it's difficult to think, but easy to act. So maybe it isn't so much a preference as a balance; low pressure for creativity, high pressure for output.