When did everything become so urgent?
We need to answer the email. Make the decision. Place the order. Finish the project. Get to the next thing.
And we need to do it now.
Somewhere along the way, many of us seem to have lost the distinction between I can do this right now and I need to do this right now.
Think about the last time you bought something online. Have you ever clicked “Buy” and then gone back and read the reviews? I have. We can purchase almost anything we want within seconds, and sometimes the ability to act immediately means we do exactly that. The pause that might have given us a chance to ask, Do I actually want this? Do I need it? Is this even the right one? disappears.
Our phones have made this even easier. We can make decisions from just about anywhere. But just because we can make an important decision while standing in line at the grocery store or sitting in a waiting room doesn’t mean we should.
How many times have you responded to something important from your phone when, realistically, it could have waited until you got to a computer? What made it feel so urgent?
Hurry Up and Wait
You can see this sense of urgency everywhere.
Watch people when an airline announces boarding. Suddenly everyone is standing up, gathering their bags and lining up. We want to be among the first on the plane.
And then what do we do?
We sit there.
We were in such a hurry to get onto a plane that isn’t leaving until everyone else gets on too.
We do it with meals as well. We grab lunch, eat quickly and get right back to work. Lunch becomes another task to complete.
But what if we actually ate lunch?
What if we noticed the taste of something we love? The texture. The smell. The feeling of being satisfied and nourished. What if we had a conversation with someone while we ate? What if we simply sat quietly and enjoyed our food?
When did eating something we enjoy become an obstacle standing between us and our next task?
We’re Always Chasing What’s Next
Work can be particularly bad for this.
We work toward a goal for weeks or months. We finally achieve it, and almost immediately the conversation becomes, What’s next?
There is another deadline. Another project. Another problem to solve. Another goal to reach.
How often do we actually stop and say, We did it?
Not for 30 seconds before opening the next email. Really stop. Acknowledge the work. Celebrate the milestone. Appreciate what it took to get there.
When we don’t, life can start to feel like one very long to-do list.
And this isn’t just about work.
Sometimes we move so quickly toward something we want that we don’t give ourselves enough time to think about what comes after we get it.
Some of us might even adopt a puppy without fully thinking through what having a puppy is actually going to be like.
Hypothetically, of course.
There is something wonderfully exciting about acting on an idea. But sometimes a little space between I want this and I’m doing this can be a very good thing.
What Are We Rushing Toward?
Technology has removed many of the natural pauses that used to exist in our lives.
There were things we once had to wait to do. We had to get home. Go to the store. Get to the office. Talk to someone. Sit down at a computer.
Now we can act on almost any thought the moment we have it.
Click. Buy. Send. Respond. Agree. Sign up. Decide.
That convenience can be wonderful. But it can also train us to expect immediacy—and make waiting feel uncomfortable.
Maybe we need to intentionally put some of those pauses back.
Before responding, ask: Does this actually need an answer right now?
Before buying, ask: Do I really want this, or do I just want it right now?
Before jumping into the next goal, ask: Did I take time to appreciate what I just accomplished?
And sometimes, don’t ask anything at all.
Eat the lunch.
Taste it.
Enjoy the conversation.
Sit at the gate until your boarding group is called.
Celebrate what you accomplished.
Close the email.
Put down the phone.
Be where you are.
Because if we rush through breakfast to get to work, rush through work to accomplish the next goal, rush through dinner to get everything done, and rush through our evenings preparing for tomorrow, we eventually have to ask ourselves:
What exactly are we rushing toward?
Not everything is urgent. Not everything requires an immediate response. Not every decision needs to be made from your phone. And not every moment needs to be used to get you to the next one.
Sometimes the moment you’re rushing through is the moment you’re supposed to be enjoying.