Fighting off false urgency at work
When the pressure of false urgency compels rapid action, creative and deep work often finds itself suffocated. Creativity and deep thought thrives only when there's room to breathe.
5 Tactics to Combat a Culture of False Urgency at Work
The headwinds of false urgency can be intense. But they also foster a reactive culture. If everything is urgent, there’s little opportunity for creative and deep work, which tends to flourish only when there’s time and space. In this article, the author offers tips that will help you focus on what’s truly urgent in your organization and enable your team to deliver strong results and sustain high performance over time.
Dina Denham Smith
The article by Dina Denham Smith discusses how false urgency in the workplace can lead to unproductive busyness and damage morale and performance. It provides five tactics to combat this culture of false urgency:
- Recognize the signs of false urgency, such as chronic overwhelm and reactivity.
- Pinpoint the source of urgency, often rooted in anxiety, and challenge limiting beliefs.
- Prioritize ruthlessly by focusing on what's truly important over what's urgent.
- Employ strategic procrastination to allow time for creativity and innovation.
- Vet external requests and buffer your team from unnecessary demands.