Why do we feel like we have so much work all the time?
Have you ever…?
- I woke up this morning feeling like, "I'm definitely going to be late again today."
- I often have to apologize to people by saying, "Sorry, I've been really busy lately."
- I've worked all day, but when I look back... I can't remember what I've actually accomplished
If so — you may not be genuinely busy , but may be caught in a “false urgency” trap, as the Harvard Business Review calls it .
What is False Urgency?
It's the feeling that every task is "urgent," even though it's not actually urgent.
It's not due to an overwhelming workload, but to the atmosphere:
- We thought we needed to hurry.
- The boss only said a little, but we interpreted it as needing to be sent immediately.
- I'm afraid I'll be perceived as "not diligent" if I don't reply immediately
Ultimately, we react to everything immediately, but we don't actually "deal with" anything.
How will we know if there's really a lot of work to do?
Ask yourself these three questions:
- Does the work you do today have a “significant impact” on your long-term goals?
- I spend most of my time on urgent or important.
- If I had three extra hours, what would I do?
If the answer is, "Most of the work isn't that important."
You might just be in "pretending to be busy" mode
How to deal with feeling "busier than you really are."
1. Prioritize what you should "do" and what you should "stop doing."
Some tasks don't need to be done — it's just that they've always been done
such as:
- Some reports are never read → They can be removed
- Checking emails every 10 minutes → Change to 3 times a day
2. Dare to question the meaning of "urgent."
Before jumping into a job, ask yourself this:
- "When is it urgent?"
- "Who is it important to?"
- "What is the expected outcome?"
Sometimes, other people don't even expect you to reply immediately — we just assume that.
3. Practice “Strategic Pause”
Sometimes, the best work comes from taking a break to think more deeply.
Instead of responding immediately, try setting aside time to review:
- 15 minutes to think before answering
- Half a day to draft guidelines
- One day to revise and improve
Speed isn't everything — quality lasts longer
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