• Whenever something “urgent” comes in → wait and do nothing (unless it is a real emergency, i.e. someone’s life, health or entire bank account is at stake)
  • This logic also can be seen in some Scrum implementations (fixed sprint backlog) and Kanban (WiP limit)
• Often our EMOTIONAL assessment of urgency is inaccurate. After some time issue urgency can be re-evaluated.
• Prioritize finishing things in progress over starting something new
• (Especially true in work settings or with kids) Colleagues or family members can unnecessarily elevate urgency and ask for help while they are still trying to figure things out themselves. It is helpful to allow them some time
  • 1 minute for a kid asking for help can be OK
  • 1-4 hours/1 business day for a colleague wanting your attention can also be fine
  • 1 day for adult family members
• The same is true for health concerns (please take this with a pinch of salt - this is for worriers people like me). Sometimes health concerns (pain, headache, whatever) would just go away in a day or even a week and never be back. Don’t rush to A&E. Waiting rarely hurts :)
• The same is true for ‘urgent shopping’. Wherever you have a strong desire to buy something - don’t buy straight away, instead put it into the shopping ideas list and wait for a week or month. If after some time you would still want to buy the thing - then feel free to do so.