How to think clearly when everything feels like an emergency
You’re driving. Your phone is going off in the cupholder: three Slack pings, a text from your manager, an email stamped “URGENT” that is almost certainly not. Then your kid throws up in the back seat. It’s everywhere. Oh god, it’s everywhere. Now something — or namely, someone — actually needs you. There is at least one real emergency to deal with, and it involves a bucket and a mop, but your…
When your phone constantly buzzes and your child throws up in the car, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by a sense of urgency. However, not all of these perceived emergencies require immediate attention. This phenomenon, known as the "mere urgency effect," causes us to choose less important tasks when they appear urgent. While there are genuine emergencies that need our full attention, many of the stresses we face are self-created.
To avoid this, we can borrow coping strategies from people who deal with real emergencies, such as special forces and emergency managers. The key is to first restore a moment of calm before making decisions. This can be achieved by taking a deliberate, slow action, such as taking a deep breath or writing down thoughts. By doing so, we can narrow our focus and allocate our attention to what truly matters.
Although we cannot stop the constant influx of information, taking a pause allows us to regain clarity and make better decisions.
Written by urgent.news from Big Think's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
