Anna Doktor
- Dec 14, 2021
- 4 min read

Are you suffering from the syndrome of urgency? Read this to find out how to cure it.

Have you ever heard yourself saying: I need to get this done now! The deadline for the project was yesterday! Gosh, there are so many things to get to, and no time!

It is not that you have a lot of things on your plate, it is that all of them seem to be urgent! And because everything seems to be urgent, you respond to whatever screams the loudest. And when the end of the day comes, you don’t remember what you did or why, worrying that something important got missed out and that you planned your day to go a different way.

Living in a state of urgency can be deadly. Not only to our health, both mental and physical but also to our dreams, relationships, and quality of life. And that is why in today’s blog post I talk about what a syndrome of urgency is and what to do to stop it. In addition, I created this free downloadable 5 planning strategies to manage your time better so you can achieve more and feel in control of your day cheat sheet! So, you don’t let the urgency take over your day.

Is it really urgent?

The webster dictionary (I know! I can’t believe I’m saying it!) defines urgent as ‘calling for immediate attention’. And I like this definition because it is open for us to add what is calling for that immediate attention.

We live in a productivity-obsessed world, where we are expected to have it all, be all, do all. To be able to meet the demands, we need to attend to all. And how can we do it? Well, by making everything we do urgent.

Urgent has become a synonym with emergency. But if you think about an ER, even there not everything is urgent. If a patient with a broken leg shows up and a patient having a heart attack, the heart attack patient will be looked after first. Not because of some cruelty, but because the common sense of life and death rule applies.

When you live in a state of urgency, you are very reactive. You are reacting to everything that is happening in your life, without the conscious pause to see if what is requested of you makes much sense. But when you are reactive, you don’t use your time and energy efficiently. You jump into the whirlpool of tasks without thinking if the outcome is what you want.

I believe it is not a question if something is urgent, but if it is urgent to you. And you can only know if something is urgent if you stand firmly on the ground and know what matters to you most. The distinction of why this is urgent to me can quickly become the decision-maker of what is truly urgent and what is posing as urgent.

Our lives are not slowing down, what more there is more demand on our focus, and attention, so there will be more things posing as urgent soon. And travelling at a neck-breaking speed of the syndrome of urgency is simply not sustainable. And here are three ways to address it.

#1 Define it

First of all, you need to create your own definition of urgent. Otherwise, you will be attending to everything based on a broad understanding of what urgent is. And not everything should be put in the same basket. Yes, certain things will be urgent and would require your immediate attention, but a lot of other tasks are there because somebody else added them to your list.

By creating your own definition of urgent, each time you are pressured, you check if it matches, and you can act accordingly. I would suggest you make your definition specific, so there are no open windows for free interpretation.

#2 Prioritize it

Everything may seem urgent, but believe me, not everything is. There are things that are more urgent than others. Most likely you have been reactive to days events for so long that you lost touch with how to prioritize what actually matters to you. So it may be that you have some value setting to do and check what truly is important to you, so you know what to prioritize from the pile of tasks.

#3 Ask for help

Not many of us like asking for help. Somewhere in our childhood, we were told that only weak people ask for help. But it not only wasn’t true, but it also showed that people who taught us that, didn’t know how to ask for help either. On the contrary, asking for help is a sign of strength. But above all is a sign of vulnerability, and probably that is why we don’t want to do it.

However, if you are draughting with a never-ending to-do list, can’t catch your breath, and feel your health and wellbeing are being compromised, it is time to ask for some assistance.

Conclusions

Living in a state of urgency is very common to so many of us. However, in the long term, this way of living is not sustainable.

The world may be telling us that everything is urgent, but that does not mean that it is. Define what urgent truly means to you. Why something is urgent for you and not to somebody else?

If you still find that all seems to be urgent, prioritize your tasks. Again, tap to your why, what matters to you, and your values. Are they all aligned? Then what is a priority out of all those urgent tasks?

And if things get out of control, ask for help. Asking somebody to give you a helping hand is no sign of weakness. It is a sign of strength. You may feel uncomfortable because you show your vulnerability. But the cost of your health and wellness is going to be much greater.

Don’t let the urgency take over your day, grab your free downloadable 5 planning strategies to manage your time better so you can achieve more and feel in control of your day cheat sheet! Click here.

Having problems with managing your stress? Go on: www.annadoktor.com.au to find out more about Anna Doktor Wellness Coaching and how I can help you to beat the overwhelm once and for all. Alternatively, send me an email at anna@annadoktor.com.au or call to have a chat to see how we can work together tel: 0498016440.