Until M1, I did not feel the time pressure at all. In fact, it would be quite easy to lollygag until close to Year 3 on any difficulty not Jack Sparrow.
Since M1, things changed a lot. Now it is way more difficult to lollygag, and there is only one way of dealing with the pressure, getting a goal and sticking to it. Unfortunately, for people not in the know what is, or is not a goal, they might suffer from unfocused playstyle that will ultimately grind their campaign to a halt no later than 9 months in.
That said, experienced players tend to know this stuff. And in any case, avoiding !stuff! Is basically the WORST thing you can do, so much so I'd consider it a newbie trap, not an experienced player rigid time control method or whatever.