When Everything Feels Urgent, Nothing Is

How Resilient Managers Stay Calm When Pressure Peaks

You know that feeling:

the notifications,

the “Can I grab you for a sec?”,

the Slack pings,

the surprise deadline.

Suddenly, everything feels urgent.

But here’s the truth: when everything is urgent, your brain can’t tell the difference between a real emergency and a false alarm. You’re reacting- not leading.

Resilient managers know urgency is contagious, but so is calm.
And calm begins with a pause.

Try This: The Pause–Prioritize–Plan Habit

1️⃣ Pause (10 seconds).
Before jumping into a new “urgent” task, stop. Breathe. Ask:

Does this need my attention right now, or just my reaction?

2️⃣ Prioritize (2 minutes).
Sort the noise into three buckets:

• 🔴 Now: Immediate consequence if delayed.

• 🟡 Next: Needs attention, not panic.

• 🟢 Later: Can safely wait, or delegate.

3️⃣ Plan (5 minutes).
Block time for the Next and Later items. The act of scheduling them tells your brain, “This is handled.”
And that mental closure frees up your energy for what truly matters.

Here’s the shift:

Every time you pause instead of panic, you train your resilience muscle.
You model steady leadership, and your team learns calm by watching you.

A quick reflection for this week:

When was the last time you paused before reacting?
Write down what changed, even slightly, because you gave yourself space to think first.

♻️ If this helped you, share it so someone else can breathe a little easier.

Want a tool to help you stay centered when pressure hits?

Download the free guide: 5 Powerful Questions to Ask Under Pressure.