Can This Wait?
I love deadlines.
To the point that I sometimes fake them.
Fake deadlines help me get started, create urgency, and help me prioritise when I’m struggling to focus.
But here’s the problem: when I’m juggling too many deadlines—real and fake—things can start to blur… to the point where everything feels urgent. And of course, when everything is urgent, nothing is.
Chris Guillebeau’s book Time Anxiety reminded me of a simple question to help identify actual priorities: for each task, ask, “Can this wait?”
“Can this wait?” is a closed question—the answer is yes or no, based on the evidence you have.
You could answer, “Yes, but…”—although I recommend you try not to. Mirror the simplicity of the question with your reply.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with tasks today, why not review your list and, for each task, ask yourself, “Can this wait?”.
I’d love to hear how you get on.
