Fake Sense of Urgency

There is urgent, and then there is really urgent.

Today I wanted to talk to you about urgent, or best known as the fake sense of urgency.

But first, let’s define what is truly urgent in our line of business:

• Webshop is down.
• You have an ongoing campaign, and the server decided to take a nap.
• You’ve already paid for media buying, and the TV commercial isn’t done.
• You have a slot for printing labels, and there’s a mistake in the design.

You get the drift.

Everything else? Not really urgent.

We are not doctors, yet somehow, we’ve matched their stress levels. My cortisol is at 1075 (the high limit is 575). I’m fine, by the way, thanks for asking.

So how do we get the stress down and stop the fake urgency spiral?

I wish I had all the answers, but here’s one thing that’s helped us: rationalizing.

Take this example: if a client didn’t respond to an email for two months, and suddenly it’s urgent, newsflash—it probably isn’t. Sure, it’s become urgent for them now because of their delay, but that doesn’t mean we can magically fix it on the spot. Especially when the request is made oh so nicely.

These chaotic situations can completely derail our workflow. And we’ve noticed that this happens more often when the client is the one leading the project. Don’t get me wrong—we care about helping our clients, but when they’re unfamiliar with our processes, schedules, or risk management, it creates unnecessary chaos.

Another common scenario: working on a project where everything is labeled URGENT and ASAP.

Here’s what’s worked for us: prioritizing.

We say: “Okay, you’ve got three team members at your disposal. In what order should we work? Here are the estimates—let us know what’s most important.”

This brings me to one of my favorite little stories: The Boy Who Cried Wolf.

You probably know it, but here’s a quick recap:

There was a shepherd boy who often felt bored while watching his sheep. To entertain himself, he cried, “Wolf! Wolf!” even though there wasn’t a wolf in sight. The villagers rushed to help, only to realize he was lying. This happened a few more times, and the villagers started ignoring him.

Then one day, a real wolf appeared. The boy cried for help, but the villagers, tired of his lies, didn’t come.

This is exactly what happens with “urgent” projects. If everything is urgent, then at some point, nothing is.

So, what’s the takeaway?

Like I said earlier, there’s a difference between real urgency and fake urgency. For example, when the server is down, or a line of code breaks and the website stops working—that’s urgent. Trust me, I’m spamming ASAP messages to the team too.

But when you write “urgent” next to something like picture padding? I’m sorry, I just can’t take you seriously.

What can you do in these situations?

1. Rationalize.
2. Prioritize.
3. Make a proper judgment call on what’s really urgent.

That’s what’s worked for us. People don’t change overnight, and let’s face it—many don’t understand project management, let alone how to write a proper brief. But that’s the business we’re in.

What you can do is avoid falling for these “cheap” tricks. Hopefully, these steps will help protect your workflow, maintain your sanity, and keep your stress levels far from “doctor-level.”