Time to read: 1.25 minutes
Vintage bunnies, cuz, why not?
Everything is urgent. Nothing is urgent. Let's find the thing that actually matters.
This week, I want to talk about focus — specifically, how to find it when your to-do list is screaming, and everything feels like it must happen now.
You've told me about this. The inbox that never empties. The meeting that could have been an email. The feeling that you're busy all day and somehow still behind.
Here's what I've noticed: urgency is often not a fact.
When everything feels urgent, almost nothing actually is. If the house is on fire or someone is bleeding, that's urgent. The real work — the work that moves the needle, serves your people, and matters a year from now — is quieter. It's sitting patiently underneath the noise, waiting for you to notice it, and because it's quiet, you often miss what's most important.
So how do you find what matters? Here are some ideas:
- Before you open your email in the morning, ask yourself one question: What is the one thing I could do today that would make everything else easier? Do that first.
- When someone says, "This is urgent," get curious. Ask when they actually need it. You'll be surprised how often "urgent" means "sometime this week."
- At the end of the day, look at your list and ask: What on here felt urgent but wasn't? Notice the pattern. It will teach you a lot about where your attention gets hijacked.
- Close a tab. Just one. You know the one.
The goal isn't to do more. The goal is to do the right thing, with your full attention, and feel the satisfaction of work that actually counts.
Please email me and tell me what steals your focus most. Is it the pinging? The people? The pressure you put on yourself? For me, it's the pinging. I really want to know.