THE FIELD GUIDE · DECISION AID
Everything Is Urgent
“Urgent is how a request sounds. Priority is what happens if it waits.”
Urgency language is not sufficient evidence of priority. Look for consequence, dependency, real deadlines, and what can safely move—then communicate a proposed order rather than silently guessing.
Four questions
Is someone blocked?
Is there a real deadline?
What breaks if this waits?
What can safely move?
An example
Three requests land on the same day.
Your manager
“Can you send me the revised deck by 3? I want to review it before tomorrow’s exec meeting.”
A coworker
“Can you send the customer list by noon? I can’t launch the email until I have it.”
Operations
“Can you clean up the tracker today? It’s getting messy.”
The customer list is blocking a noon launch. The deck has a real 3:00 deadline. The tracker needs attention, but nothing says it breaks today.
Then say your order out loud
“I’m sending the customer list first because it’s blocking the noon launch, then I’ll get you the deck before 3. I’ll update the tracker after that unless there’s a deadline I’m missing.”
When everything is urgent, look for what actually breaks.
A NOTE ON THE EVIDENCE
This is a practical prioritization aid, not a validated prioritization method or assessment.
WHERE TO GO NEXT
Same judgment move: Make a Recommendation Before You Have Perfect Information