Ask Flex / Everything is urgent
Why is everything urgent at work?
Because calling something urgent costs the person asking nothing, and each person only sees their own request. Nobody is adding up the total but you, so the first move is to count it and show it.
Count it. Then show it.
Count the urgents
One day. A tally mark for each one.
Ask for the real date
"When do you need it by?" turns urgent into Thursday.
Show the line
Each person only sees their own ask. Show them the list.
Notice the repeat senders
The same person every time is a talk, not a rush.
Here's every "urgent" request I got at work this week, with names and private details left out: [list each one, who it came from by role, like boss or coworker, and when it was really needed, if you know]. Tell me what patterns you see: who sends the most, how many had a real deadline, and how many could have waited. Then write two calm sentences I can use to ask for a real due date from now on. Don't guess at deadlines I didn't give you.
Before you paste work stuff into any AI, check what your company allows.Fire or Smoke?
Eight office messages, all marked urgent. Tap which ones are real fires and which are just loud.
Play a round Learn this in the Lab, free
A free group where you learn to use Claude for the repeat parts of your job: email, reports, forms. Start with a 15-minute chat that maps what Claude can do in your job.
- Free
- No coding
- Works in Claude
What do I do when everything is urgent at work?
Ask what breaks if it waits until tomorrow. Most of it can. Flex has a page on it.
How do I improve my sense of urgency at work?
Answer fast with a date, even before the work is done. Flex has a page on it.
How do I avoid distractions at work?
Protect one hour. Close the inbox and the chat window. Flex has a page on it.
Want to hand this to Claude?
Start in the Lab with the free 9-to-5 Job Triage: a 15-minute chat that maps what Claude can do in your job. Everything inside is free.