When Everything is Urgent, Nothing is
If everything is urgent, nothing is.
We talk a lot about HOW to prioritise. But what about WHAT we prioritise?
Urgency can be loud: emails marked ASAP... Teams messages with flashing exclamation marks... last-minute requests that feel impossible to ignore...
At times, when I felt most overwhelmed, it wasn’t because I didn’t know how to prioritise. It was because I was surrounded by people who believed their task was the most urgent thing in the world.
The thing is, not everything is urgent. And drowning in other people’s urgency noise comes at a cost—to your focus, productivity, and most importantly, your wellbeing.
So, what does "urgent" actually mean?
Urgent tasks must be done now to prevent significant consequences, such as missing deadlines, damaging relationships, or negatively impacting your organisation's (or your) goals.
Tasks aren’t urgent just because someone else left it late—or because they’re the loudest voice in the room.
If you’re facing multiple urgent demands, try asking:
What will happen if I don’t do this today?
Who decided this was urgent—and why?
Is this genuinely time-sensitive, or just noisy?
Your work (and wellbeing) deserve thoughtful prioritisation, not panic responses.
