How do you keep from using too much pressure on the left hand? I seem to press too hard.
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Read through this thread for some tips.
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Isn’t the answer always practice? 
Seriously, there’s an exercise where you fret a note, then slowly release the pressure as you play the note. You will find the point where the note goes from clean to buzzy. You need to try to remember how much (actually how little) pressure you actually need to cleanly fret a note. Practice this. It’s also worth thinking about the pressure your thumb is exerting on the back of the neck. In reality, it doesn’t take much at all. In fact you could take your thumb off entirely and still fret a clean note.
Trouble is, I / we tend to tense up when playing, so constantly need to remember to relax and ease the pressure….
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I would make sure you’ve got a good setup first. It helps immensely with how much pressure you need. Plenty of threads on it if you search.
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I like to start from light to firm. From barely touching the frets and plug the string, no note tone but that’s thud is what we call ghost note. Keep increasing the pressure til you get some half note tone that’s burping tone just a little more you’ll get your full tone. That’s how light it requires to fret a note. The other 2 I mentioned are essential to your playing later on. Learn them well.
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What’s really helped me is the exercise of playing without using the thumb of your fretting hand. Really helped me to feel how little pressure is actually required. It seems to me it’s all about where you fret, not fretting harder. Used to, whenever I heard a buzz, I’d fret harder. Now I look at where I’m fretting, and it’s always not in the right spot right behind the fret.
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I find that using a fretless bass and shaving the nut (of the bass) as low as possible helps immensely.
You just need a light touch to play fretless!
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Someday… Maybe 
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It is really really really easier than you think. And so much fun!!!
I wish I had started with fretless.
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I spent a lot of time working on playing as lightly as possible. Much of it just comes with time, at the beginning you have to consciously think about everything, as time passes you have to think about less and less and as you become more comfortable, you’ll relax more and it’s easier to have a light touch. I don’t play with a pick lots and when i do, i find it much harder to keep my left hand relaxed, similarly when I’m playing fast 16th notes, i really have to think about staying relaxed.
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When I first started playing bass I had the same problem … LOL I thought I had to grind those fat ass strings deep into the frets… Not so.
It doesn’t take much pressure at all to sound a note. And when you experiment with pressure over frets is also where you will discover harmonic tones 
LOL
( you will get to those eventually )
All you need to do is make sure the string is in stable contact with the fret… nothing more. Extra pressure can cause buzz and/or deaden the tone of the note.
Many people here have discussed how to find the sweet spot… here is the thing tho… music is an art … and art requires finesse and a gentle touch …
@sshoihet has a good tip mentioned above. … when you practice … try to intentionally fret lighter … after a while you will learn what pressure is needed. 
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I had that problem with picks at first, then switched to a more flexible pick (Dunlop Tortex 0.50mm) They have enough flex to still feel what you are playing and can play lightly… heavy picks are hard to use for finessed playing ( in my opinion )
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