Leadership expert reveals how to deal with a false sense of urgency in the workplace

An author and leadership speaker has revealed how to manage a false sense of urgency in the workplace, and it’s actually quite simple.

The tip was shared in a new video posted on TikTok this week by Selena Rezvani, who has amassed more than 500,000 followers and was recognized by Fast Company as a “top career builder.”

Rezvani, who also writes a viral newsletter, often uses social media to share her guidance on how to handle social situations at work, boost your confidence, and more.

In this clip, the expert explained that many who work in an office can often feel a false sense of urgency created by others around them.

‘One of the most toxic things about modern work? The expectation that everything is urgent,” Rezvani began.

Leadership author Selena Rezvani reveals how you can deal with a false sense of urgency at work (stock image)

‘You’ve been there, haven’t you? When every email, every project, every task gets checked off as soon as possible,” he continued.

Rezvani noted that nowadays it seems like everyone always wants to have everything immediately.

“But here’s the thing, when everything is urgent, nothing is really urgent,” he admitted.

“Your brain can’t tell what’s a real priority, so you end up having 24/7 stress.”

The author of Quick Confidence explained that this level of stress is simply too much, and that no one can function at a “12 out of 10” every day.

“You’re just left feeling like you’re falling behind because you can’t keep up,” Rezvani said.

So his advice for those who feel like they have to do something “urgent” every five seconds?

“It’s okay to step back,” revealed the leadership consultant.

“But here’s the thing, when everything is urgent, nothing is really urgent,” he admitted in the video clip (stock image)

“Ask for clarity, what really needs to be done right now?” she continued.

Rezvani also recommended that people set “realistic limits,” because if you treat everything like it’s an emergency, you might burn yourself out before there’s a real emergency.

“Then try to catch yourself when you’re absorbed by this false urgency and start prioritizing what really matters,” he continued.

“Your sanity, your focus and your peace,” the creator concluded.

In the comments section of his video, some users also offered their own guidance on how to deal with this office phenomenon.

‘Yes! The #1 tip I would give to anyone! I ended up with stress related health issues that I am dealing with a year later. Don’t let any manager do this to you! LIMITS,” one person stated.

Another agreed: “I quit my 20 year teaching career in May. Wish I had done it years ago before I ruined my nervous system.

“If an email or slack/teams message isn’t really urgent, make sure you don’t respond immediately to reinforce the point,” someone else wrote.

One commenter wrote: “THIS! my answer is ‘we are saving pdf here no lives.’