I agree with @epc. in the mid to long term, it’s best to drop clients that constantly put pressure on you. Receiving pressure on a constant basis takes a toll

I agree with @epc. in the mid to long term, it’s best to drop clients that constantly put pressure on you. Receiving pressure on a constant basis takes a toll on mental health, and health is our most precious asset. Don’t waste it with people who are not worth it! Here’s an argument to convince you: your client is not creating the kind of environment where you will produce high quality work or grow much as a professional. He’s creating the kind of environment where you will just ‘get stuff done’, lose your passion and be miserable in the long term. If you'd like to fix the relationship rather than to break it, my recommendation is to learn negotiation skills. They're very useful for life in general, so it's worth investing time in learning them. There are reams of books, webs, podcasts, videos, etc. about the art of negotiation so you can start by the type of content that suits you best. After you learn sufficient negotiation skills, I suggest you use them with your difficult client and see what comes out. Maybe he or she stops being a bully. You know, sometimes people are abusive just because they can get away with it. The moment they see strong pushback or confrontation they typically flee to find the next (poor) victim. To your examples, I would reply something like: "I need your help to wrap this up ASAP" Sure, let me have a look at my to-do list and I'll get back to you with a delivery date ASAP (then, calculate a date that already includes a safety buffer and negotiate with the client) "I am under a lot of pressure and time constraint" I understand and I empathise with you, but I also have a lot going on and I don't want to promise you something I can't deliver. Can we please go over the scope and activities together to put realistic timings on them? Tactics: - show the other person you're on his/her camp - explain that it's not reasonable to commit to dates that can't be met. Bonus points if done with confidence. - expose the risk they're creating by committing to something that is not reasonable - position the discussion as win / win... you need to review dates for your client's own good (what would his or her boss say after deadlines are not met?)