Understanding Urgency: Setting Personal and Professional Urgency Triggers
These days, communication is constant and comes from various platforms. All of our devices are designed to inform us that something is going on, with sounds and flashing lights signaling new messages, new emails, or general notifications. Whether we are in the middle of a thought or attempting to complete income producing activity, these alerts demand our attention, making it challenging to determine what is truly urgent.
The constant barrage of notifications can easily disrupt our focus as the flashing lights and noises signal our brains to wonder, “what is that? Who needs me now? Of course I can’t get anything done, I am always interrupted!” This applies to humans as well. When people come to ask a ”quick question” or need “a little clarification” this action can take us out of focus. It could even take up to twenty minutes to get back on task. To combat this, I recommend that all my clients, colleagues, and friends establish personal and professional urgency triggers. These triggers are specific criteria or guidelines that help you decide what needs immediate attention and what can be scheduled for later. Additionally, urgency triggers can be communicated to others in order to clarify when to interrupt you and when something can wait.
Here’s how urgency triggers can transform your life and productivity.
Identify Your Urgency Triggers:
Determine what types of communication or interruptions are truly urgent. A suggestion would be to get highly specific with your urgency triggers because different people define urgency differently. Generalizing urgency with things like, specific messages from key people, certain project updates, or urgent tasks that need immediate action allows for too much interpretation. Use specific urgent items, for example, revenue and reputation. If your revenue has been impacted in a negative way STOP everything and fix it and/or if your reputation has been impacted in a negative way STOP everything and fix it. Ensuring that the urgency triggers you select are truly urgent, guarantees that you can be productive longer as there are ONLY specific things that interrupt your productivity.
Categorize Your Communications:
Once your urgency triggers are in place, all incoming communications are to be looked at by saying “does this activate my urgency triggers.” If yes, then handle it. If not, then schedule it. This will help you quickly decide what needs to be addressed right away and what can actually wait.
Implement Across Platforms:
Apply your urgency triggers to all communication platforms, whether it's email, messaging apps, phone calls, or even in-person interruptions. Consistency is key when enforcing your urgency triggers to ensure you can stay focused and productive.
Train Your Environment:
Inform your family, clients, and colleagues about your urgency triggers. This helps manage their expectations, reduces unnecessary interruptions, and allows them to understand when to actually disturb you.
By setting and adhering to urgency triggers, you can regain control over your time and focus, increasing overall productivity, decreasing reactivity, and working to eliminate stress.
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