She plowed into my office at 8:05am overwhelmed because 3 people called in sick and she wanted to let me know I likely wouldn’t see her all day.

I offered her a chair as I let her finish then asked her how she was. She looked at me like I was crazy and said “didn’t you hear me?!” I nodded and asked again how she was. She shrugged and said fine. I took a deep breath and it naturally made her do the same.

I slowly laid out the schedule in front of her on my desk and walked through a solution that would still allow everyone to take lunch, including her. After I asked if she agreed that it would work as laid out she stood up.

As she started walking out I gently told her remember, they feed off our energy as leaders. It’s our job to decide what is urgent and how we allow it to determine our next steps.

It was natural for her to walk, talk & act fast and it was one of my favorite things about her as a manager. And, at times, it also created a false sense of urgency in matters that could easily be remedied with little energy.

We harbor that urgency a lot as Founders.

We are obsessed with moving fast.

We pride ourselves on being quickly responsive and fast acting.

Oftentimes, it’s why we find early success. And because we’re rewarded for it, we believe it’s working and necessary.

Eventually though, it’s why we end up hitting a wall, alienating people and reliving the same problems over and over again.

Because there comes a day where that urgency actually hinders us vs supports our success and we have to then start filtering through a different lens. When it’s time to make that shift it can be confusing though because what once rewarded you for urgency is now stopping your growth.

When that happened to me I developed a framework for helping me figure out what is actually worth addressing immediately.

The RAVEN Framework. (see…they’ve always been near and dear to my heart 🙂 )

But speed without clarity & perspective is just motion. It looks productive. It feels productive, but eventually it doesn't move the number.

So here's the rule I coach my clients through — and the one I run for myself before I say yes to anything loud: The three limits — so the RAVEN filter has something real to run against.

1. The Revenue Filter

Every new “urgent” request has to name the KPI it affects. If it can't name one, it isn't a priority which means it’s a preference. Write the KPI list for your team and keep it visible. The filter is clarifying and gives them something to lean on.

2. The 24-Hour Rule

You decide what this week is for on Sunday — not on Tuesday when someone's in your inbox. If you don’t own your time you’ll always be on call for someone else’s fires. Most urgency is someone else's expectations trying to rule your time, and you do not owe anyone an explanation of why it didn't make the cut.

But real fires happen. Deals go sideways. A key person leaves. A customer is actually at risk. Some weeks reality hands you something that has to reshape the plan. Here's the test before you let it:

If all three are yes, reprioritize your schedule without guilt. Name what gets displaced and tell the team. Move. Then, when the fire is out, put the plan back in place. The pre-decided week is a default but it’s not meant to be a cage.

3. The One-In, One-Out Rule

This one goes back to my favorite minimalist rule as I raised toddlers — when they received a toy, they donated a toy. And I apply the same concept to business because capacity is finite. Nothing new goes on the plate without naming what comes off. Pretending otherwise is how teams end up with nine #1 priorities and zero delivered ones.

This week when you’re faced with urgency that might be false, I want you to ask yourself…