We’ve got a group of students with us this week, shadowing different teams and working on a project about decision-making under uncertainty. After a few scenario discussions, one theme stood out: time pressure changes everything.
That led me to reflect on something I’ve come to call forced time — when your natural pace of thinking is hijacked by someone else’s urgency. It’s more than annoying. Neuroscience shows it affects how we think.
What Time Pressure Does to the Brain
When you’re rushed, the prefrontal cortex — the brain’s control centre for logic, planning, and reflection — gets overloaded. The result?
- You rely on habits and shortcuts
- Emotional reactivity increases
- Working memory shrinks
- Strategic thinking drops off
Add a surge of cortisol, and your brain slips into reactive mode. You may be fast, but you’re likely not thinking clearly.
Forced Time at Work
Forced time shows up quietly:
- A Teams ping that expects instant response
- A “quick call?” that breaks your focus
- A document handed over with zero lead time
Each one chips away at your ability to control your cognitive rhythm — what neuroscience calls cognitive bandwidth. When that’s eroded, quality drops.
Why It Matters for Leaders
As a leader, how you treat time sets the pace for others. Rushing people — even subtly — creates a culture where response beats reflection. Urgency becomes performative.
Leadership means protecting time for deep work and clear thinking — both yours and your team’s.
How to Push Back on Forced Time
- Introduce intentional pauses — reflection sharpens judgement
- Ask “who benefits from rushing?” — challenge false urgency
- Say “I’d like time to consider this properly” — normalise thoughtful pacing
- Protect your brain’s best asset — its ability to process, not just react
Final Thought: Time Fuels Thinking
Speed can be impressive. But strategy, creativity, and good decisions run on space, not sprinting.
If you want to lead well, own your tempo — don’t let others dictate your rhythm.