From Chaos to Clarity: How to Prioritize When Everything Feels Urgent
You know those weeks when you THINK you are finally catching up with all your work? Early in my career journey I had lots of those hopeful weeks.
The to-do list was color-coded. My meetings were stacked just right. I even blocked time on my calendar for “deep work” because that’s what all the productivity experts say to do.
By Monday afternoon, my plan would fall apart.
One leader needed an emergency consult on a performance issue. Another team had a conflict brewing that couldn’t wait. Payroll was missing data. And by the end of the day, I was running on caffeine and chaos, asking myself the same question I know every HR professional has whispered under their breath:
“How am I supposed to do it all?”
In the evening, I would sit at my desk long after everyone else had logged off. My screen was still full of tabs and emails, but I couldn’t even focus on one. I wasn’t just tired. I was overstimulated. I was paralysed.
During a conversation with my mom, she said “work will be there on Monday again”... and that’s when it hit me.
I wasn’t tired from doing too much.
I was tired from doing too much of the wrong things.
The Myth of “Everything Is Urgent”
Somewhere along the way, urgency became the default setting in HR.
Every problem feels like a fire. Every email feels like a demand. Every leader needs “just a minute,” which turns into another hour.
We’ve normalized reactivity, and it’s slowly burning us out.
The truth is, not everything that’s loud is important.
And not everything that’s important is loud.
If we want to lead strategically, we have to stop confusing motion with progress.
The Turning Point: The Power of the Pause
Growing professionally has also pushed me to create new tiny habits, especially with priority management. One of my tiny habits is to sit with my coffee and look at my overflowing list, before I open my email.
I ask myself three questions:
What actually moves the needle?
What supports the people, not just the process?
What can wait, even if someone’s impatient about it?
These questions will cut your list in half.
And for the first time in a long time, you will feel something unexpected: clarity.
Not control, clarity.
How to Lead Through the Noise
Here’s what I’ve learned while still growing professionally: Chaos doesn’t go away. But clarity can help you navigate it with purpose.
Here are five small, practical shifts that have changed how I lead.
1. Start with the Big Rocks
You’ve heard this one before, but do you actually do it? Identify your top three priorities for the week. Write them on a sticky note. If you get nothing else done but those, you’re still making progress.
🔥 Try This: End every day by listing your top 3 for tomorrow. It keeps you grounded when chaos tries to creep in.
2. Reframe Your Language Around Urgency
When someone says “urgent,” ask, “What’s the actual impact if this waits 24 hours?” You’ll be amazed how many things aren’t as time-sensitive as they sound.
🔥 Try This: Use a shared urgency scale with your team: “critical, important, can wait.” It creates shared language and protects your time.
3. Build a Buffer Zone Into Your Schedule
If your calendar is back-to-back, you’re setting yourself up to fail. Schedule white space between meetings, even 10 minutes. Clarity needs oxygen.
🔥 Try This: Block two 30-minute no-meeting zones per day. Treat them like sacred appointments with your sanity.
4. Protect Energy, Not Just Time
You can’t lead effectively when you’re mentally drained. Match your most demanding work with your highest energy hours.
🔥 Try This: Do your strategic work in the morning and your routine work later in the day. You’ll get more done with less effort.
5. Communicate What You’re Not Doing (Yet)
Transparency is power. When you communicate what you’re focusing on, it builds trust and teaches others to prioritize too.
🔥 Try This: Send a quick weekly update to your stakeholders: “Here’s what’s on deck, what’s delayed, and why.” It stops the guessing game.
The Truth About Clarity
Clarity doesn’t mean having everything figured out. It means having the courage to choose, even when everything feels loud and competing for attention.
In HR, that courage matters. Because your calm becomes everyone else’s stability. Your clarity becomes everyone else’s compass.
So the next time you feel the chaos closing in, remember this:
You can’t do it all.
You’re not supposed to.
But you can do what matters most, and that’s what leadership really looks like.
Because in the middle of chaos, you’re not just surviving.
You’re building something bigger.
You’re creating clarity in motion.
You’re #InTheWorx, and that’s exactly where you’re meant to be.
