Priority, Clarity and tea

I took a step to my left as ‘priority’ Gladys bowled past me, a steaming cup of coffee in one hand. ‘Like one?’ she asked.

‘Thanks, tea please.’ I uttered

‘Best get it yourself then, I’m just too busy.’ came the reply.

I’d seen this before. Gladys had just been handed an ‘urgent’ which prompted the spontaneous coffee break. The ‘head-clearer’ as she calls it.

‘Just too busy, I need to get my ‘head around’ this one …’ Gladys disappeared down the corridor while I made my own way toward the idle tea pot.

So where does this additional time come from?

Being generally busy, how do we manage to get it all done when our schedules are knocked off course? How do we handle it, work it out?

The reality? Urgency. It dictates each time.

The “unexpected” gets our attention. On certain occasions we need to address it, while at other times it is completely undeserving.

Urgency can be good for us. We are all reactionary after all, and being remarkable under pressure most of us do find ways of getting things done.

So, what’s next?

The above is one of the lines that saves me every time I’m confronted by an ‘urgent.’ When the flow is interrupted or I’m thrown off my plan or if the questions are raised, this line does it for me. ‘So, what’s next?’ When I find myself distracted through anxiety about work or family, I stop and ask myself this question.

So, what’s next?

I like a list, I write one out each day and check back each time the interruptions inevitably happen, it keeps me grounded, focused on what’s next and the …

Priority, clarity and tea.