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[00:00:06] Hello Sunshine and how has your week been? How are you?
[00:00:13] Today I want to talk to you about this phenomenon called the Urgency Culture.
[00:00:18] It's a notion among a large number of people that they always have to be doing something in order to feel worthwhile.
[00:00:27] Somehow maybe justifying their very existence on this planet.
[00:00:30] A belief that we have to always be hustling to achieve our personal goals and be available 24-7 for work, family or friends.
[00:00:45] Urgency Culture is the idea that everything is urgent.
[00:00:50] And you know because of this there is no sense of prioritising one thing or the other.
[00:00:57] Instead it's this feeling that we need to be on at all times.
[00:01:03] And what often happens is that it blurs the ability to identify what is truly needed at the moment
[00:01:10] versus what can be delegated or what can wait or what can be attended to later.
[00:01:17] You know in this increasingly fast-paced and hyper-connected world that rewards urgency
[00:01:25] and this urgency culture it blurs the line between what is truly important and what is not.
[00:01:32] You know at work this could involve handling last minute requests, meeting unrealistic deadlines,
[00:01:41] having workload that makes you have to work through the weekend
[00:01:44] and the expectation to be reachable even after hours.
[00:01:50] And in our personal life it may include overextending in relationships,
[00:01:55] frequently checking social media updates out of this sheer fear that we may be missing out on something really important,
[00:02:03] responding immediately to calls and texts even when we know it's not extremely convenient.
[00:02:11] This constant rush and this unspoken expectation to always be on whether it's professional or personal
[00:02:20] creates a sense of stress and increases our anxiety levels.
[00:02:27] And that's how we feel the joy in our lives is getting depleted.
[00:02:32] You know over time urgency culture can also be detrimental to our physical health.
[00:02:40] You know now that's one of the reasons why it's so important for us to decide what's important and what's not.
[00:02:46] What's urgent and what's not.
[00:02:49] Now what's important will differ from person to person depending on their goals,
[00:02:55] depending on their culture, depending on their background and there are so many more factors.
[00:03:01] But generally urgent tasks involve meeting deadlines.
[00:03:07] Social media I would say is the biggest enabler of this urgency culture.
[00:03:13] Constant updates for followers, constant need to be validated by people,
[00:03:18] constant need to keep looking at what everyone else is doing.
[00:03:23] And in this kind of an environment comparisons are inevitable.
[00:03:27] You may see a colleague of yours who you've probably lost touch with suddenly lived the dream life.
[00:03:32] You know you may see another friend who would have probably met his or her partner
[00:03:36] or like they put it the love of their life and today they've decided that they want to get married.
[00:03:42] They've gone to this exotic location and it makes you wonder whether your life is alright.
[00:03:48] It makes you question what you are, who you are, where you're headed.
[00:03:55] It makes you question yourself, your worth, your life.
[00:03:58] And now while social media is a great space to interact and share creativity,
[00:04:04] it can also lead us to make distorted comparisons between ourselves and the others.
[00:04:11] And remember that at the end of the day nothing is really as it seems.
[00:04:17] Have you ever felt the pressure of urgency culture?
[00:04:22] You know you can ask yourself this question maybe you need that mental brick.
[00:04:27] You've been having a hard week and you just need to sit down
[00:04:31] and your friend decides to call you for a couple of drinks at the local pub.
[00:04:36] Do you want to sometimes step back and take care of your mental health at that moment?
[00:04:43] Or maybe your boss has sent you an email and you know you don't need to respond to it immediately.
[00:04:49] You wonder whether you'd be considered lazy, whether you'd be considered inefficient
[00:04:54] if you don't respond to that mail.
[00:04:56] There are a few ways to overcome this urgency culture.
[00:05:01] You need to ask yourself these few questions.
[00:05:05] For example, suppose it's about you declining that offer to go out with your friend
[00:05:10] or not responding to that email your boss has sent you right away.
[00:05:15] You ask yourself, is this thought true?
[00:05:19] Is this thought helpful?
[00:05:21] Is this thought inspiring?
[00:05:23] Is this thought necessary?
[00:05:25] Is this thought kind to myself?
[00:05:29] Because if you are constantly wondering whether you're lazy, whether you're inefficient
[00:05:34] and constantly worried about how you would be perceived
[00:05:37] then the urgency culture has got a complete hold on you.
[00:05:41] And that's when asking these questions can help.
[00:05:44] And then set yourself some healthy boundaries.
[00:05:47] You know, maybe limit the amount of time you spend on social media.
[00:05:52] Make sure that you're making enough time for yourself to just unwind and relax.
[00:05:58] Boundaries are necessary and they also help you maintain healthy relationships.
[00:06:03] Because without healthy boundaries, resentment builds up and leads to conflict and unhappiness.
[00:06:09] But it's important for you to communicate your boundaries to your employers,
[00:06:13] to your friends, to your colleagues, to your family
[00:06:17] and make sure you're communicated with a lot of kindness.
[00:06:21] Separate your personal identity from your identity as an employee,
[00:06:26] as a partner, as a friend, as a colleague.
[00:06:30] Make sure that you do things that bring you joy,
[00:06:35] that you actually love, that make you feel more peaceful
[00:06:39] and most importantly embrace a life of balance.
[00:06:43] Maybe that needs to be practiced more urgently.
[00:06:48] So here's to each one of us taking good care of ourselves,
[00:06:53] learning to step back when required,
[00:06:54] learning to ask those important questions every time we feel
[00:06:58] the urgency culture is getting to us.
[00:07:01] We'll speak to you again next week.
[00:07:03] Until then take good care of yourselves. Bye for now.