What resistance might you face when it comes to redefining urgency on your own schedule?
We live in a culture of "now". As a result, everything seems important, which keeps us in a perpetual state of hurry or of fight/flight mode, and eventually we pay the price.
Even though it seems to be, not everything is urgent. In fact, much of what is considered urgent is the direct result of how people value their own burning needs compared to the time they steal from others. As a result, they create an expected and accepted behavior that not only causes interruptions as well as coming right back around to them!
When looking at the tasks/requests at hand, consider the following:
1- Is it time sensitive? Does it need an immediate answer?
2- Is it tactically time sensitive? Is a fast action tied to a business result?
3- Is it emotionally time sensitive? Does your feeling of urgency emanate from emotion, curiosity or stress?
With that in mind, below are some strategies you can use to help recalibrate your sense of urgency:
• Own your calendar and set boundaries around things that are important to you.
• Create a ritual that allows you to shut down your work brain and start up your home brain. Do this every day.
• Develop the habit of adding non-urgent requests to a list to be addressed at your convenience.
Today, I invite you to rethink your sense of urgency. It will help you deal with demanding requests from clients or teams, display a better executive presence, and actually take time off to rest and recharge.
Let me know how it goes.
Wishing you continued growth and success.
Have a great weekend!
Nora Paxton
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