One in a Million

The Tyranny of Urgency

We live in a world where urgency has become a default setting—where bureaucratic systems, digital tools, and workplace metrics rush us from task to task, squeezing out any chance to pause, reflect, or do things with care. In this article, I share my personal reflections from years of navigating rigid software systems and high-pressure environments, where speed often trumps substance. What began as a simple question—why does everything feel so rushed and detached from meaning?—has become a larger critique of how modern systems are eroding our ability to do things well, mindfully, and with satisfaction. This is not just a personal grievance; it’s a collective cultural problem that robs us of time, energy, and joy.

Reach out and Talk.

Please reach out if you related to anything in these articles or they trigger experiences in your own life.

A Note from Me to You

These articles are personal reflections — shaped by my experiences living in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the U.S. They’re not meant to be universal truths, but rather open windows into the cultural patterns I’ve witnessed and the questions they’ve stirred in me. Much of what I write here is about the quiet ways society can make us feel like we are the problem, when really, we’re responding in very human ways to a world that often feels disconnected or misaligned.

If something here resonates with you — if you’ve ever felt frustrated, misplaced, or just tired of trying to “fix” yourself to fit into systems that feel off — I’d love to hear from you. You’re not alone. This space is here to invite honest conversation, shared stories, and connection.

What are you navigating? What systems or beliefs have weighed on you? What are you hoping to shift?

I’d be honored to walk beside you on your path.

“The things that matter most must never be at the mercy of the things that matter least.”

---

— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.”
— Socrates

When The Pressing Overrides What Is Important

In this article, I want to speak to the very real crisis of how urgency has taken over our lives—how the rush to do more, faster, is suffocating what truly matters. Our society has become obsessed with the urgent, at the expense of the important. And in doing so, we’ve allowed systems—especially software systems—to dictate how we work, how we solve problems, and even how we relate to one another.

I’ve lived this firsthand, particularly working in hospitals. But this isn’t about healthcare or mental health—this is about life itself, and how it’s been hijacked by systems that prioritize speed, efficiency, and control over human satisfaction, creativity, and sanity.

The Law of the Software

Almost every workplace today is shaped—no, ruled—by the software it uses. The structure of the system becomes the law, and we’re forced to bend around it. What we can or cannot do is no longer based on logic or common sense, but whether the system allows it.

I remember trying to send a parcel to the UK, to Her Majesty’s Passport Office—possibly one of the most important addresses in the country—and being told I couldn’t, because the computer wouldn’t accept the postcode. This is the world we now live in: if the software can’t process it, it simply can’t be done.

In medical fields, management fields, real estate, banking, and even basic phone conversations to any office, everything is dictated by what the system is designed to permit. It doesn’t matter what would make sense or what the human in front of you needs. What matters is whether you can tick the right box.

Trapped in a Bureaucratic Hell

And it’s not just one system—it’s many, and they don’t talk to each other. Our days are filled with navigating logins, passcodes, security hoops, and forgotten passwords. Systems that don’t collaborate cost us hours just trying to complete the simplest of tasks.

Microsoft CoPilot and Authenticator, for example, are enough to drive anyone insane. Even copying and pasting between platforms has become an exercise in frustration. We live under constant digital surveillance, not just in terms of privacy, but in the way every action must be verified, re-entered, authorized, and proven. We are tech and security saturated.

This is not a minor annoyance—it’s an assault on our time, our attention, and our ability to live. Whether it’s shopping, cooking, emailing a friend, or trying to be creative, we lose hours of our lives to bureaucracy.

“It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?”
— Henry David Thoreau

When Systems Erase Common Sense

We are now forced to conform to systems that cannot accommodate the nuance or creativity of real life. If there isn’t a box for it, it doesn’t exist. I’ve spent years living outside of traditional systems—without a fixed address, outside countries or bureaucratic definitions—and I know how invisible you become when you don’t fit neatly into a box.

Managers shrug and say “the system won’t let us.” CEOs admit it doesn’t make sense—but it still must be done. The system has more power than the people running it.

And so we find ourselves boxed in, unable to move to the next step in a project or process unless the computer gives permission. We can’t even complete tasks unless they’ve been defined and pre-approved in a narrow, inflexible system. It’s like living in a video game where the only way forward is to tick a specific box—even if that box has nothing to do with the real need or the real problem.

The Cost: Creativity, Connection, and Joy

What we’re losing isn’t just time. It’s joy, spontaneity, relationship, and fulfillment. The things that make life rich—like making love, playing with our children, or simply enjoying a Saturday morning—are being squeezed out.

We end up spending hours fixing a minor tech issue, trying to reset a password, or figuring out why a simple function won’t work. And what we were actually trying to do—share a photo, send a recipe, connect with someone—gets buried under digital debris.

The important is being erased by the urgent. And the things that nourish our souls—play, connection, flow, and beauty—are sacrificed on the altar of systems, speed, and security.

The Myth of Speed = Fulfillment

I’ve lived the high-speed life. I’ve done a million things very quickly, and yes, there’s a certain rush in that. It can feel productive. But it doesn’t necessarily feel fulfilling.

In nursing, I’ve seen this play out repeatedly. We’re often moving so fast we don’t have time to be thorough. The work becomes mechanical, and any chance of mindful engagement is gone.

This isn’t just anecdotal—it’s something cultures like Japan have long recognized in their concept of ikigai. There, the focus is on doing things slowly, properly, and with purpose. When we give our full presence to even simple tasks—doing the dishes, putting away groceries, or organizing a drawer—there’s a quiet satisfaction. But when urgency drives us, we rush through those same moments without joy, without depth, without peace.

This Is Society’s Breakdown—Not Yours

We’re told to be more mindful, to slow down, to manage our stress. But the truth is, we’re living in systems that make that almost impossible. It’s not you. It’s society.

Our nervous systems are overloaded not because we’re weak, but because we’re trying to survive in structures that are incompatible with human flourishing. There is no scaffolding that protects the important from being invaded by the urgent. There’s no infrastructure that guards creativity, stillness, or satisfaction.

Even those of us who try to fight back—who build rhythms, carve out space, slow down—often find we must step entirely outside of the system to reclaim our focus. That’s what I had to do.

Reclaiming our Focus, Energy and Satisfaction

This article isn’t about answers—it’s about naming what’s happening. And it’s about reminding you that the exhaustion you feel, the overwhelm, the loss of focus and satisfaction—it’s not your fault.

I’d love to hear from you—what have you noticed? What frustrates you about the world we’ve built around software and urgency? What are you trying to reclaim in your own life?

“We are being seduced into just being busy, not necessarily effective.”

---

— Stephen R. Covey

I’d Love to Hear From You

If anything in this article spoke to you, or sparked a thought, I’d love to hear about it. Whether you want to explore these ideas more deeply or simply share what’s going on in your life right now, you’re warmly invited to reach out. You don’t need to have it all figured out — I’m here to listen, reflect, and walk beside you in whatever part of the journey you’re in..

Return to the YOU are not the Problem

RESOURCES

Below is a List of Resources – Read, Watch, Listen and Be Inspired!

Books

“The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains” – Nicholas Carr
Explores how constant digital input rewires our attention, focus, and sense of depth.

“Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life” – Héctor García & Francesc Miralles
Offers insight into the value of slow, purposeful living rooted in Japanese philosophy.

“Bullshit Jobs” – David Graeber
A sharp critique of modern bureaucratic structures that create meaningless work.

“Deep Work” – Cal Newport
Explores the power of deep focus and the toll of urgency and distraction on meaningful productivity.

“Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals” – Oliver Burkeman
A philosophical exploration of how we misuse time and how to reclaim meaning from life’s pressures.

“The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It” – Robert B. Reich
Political and economic critique of the structures that shape urgency and inefficiency in modern life.

You Tube Videos

“This Is Why You’re Always Tired – Urgency Culture & Burnout” – The School of Life
[Search: “School of Life urgency burnout”]

“Digital Minimalism | Cal Newport” – Talks at Google
A practical conversation about reclaiming attention from invasive digital tools.

“What If You Stopped Doing Things You Hate?” – Einzelgänger
Deep philosophical takes on modern life and systems.

“The Trap of Modern Efficiency” – Veritasium
Science-backed exploration of productivity myths and systemic overload.

TED Talks

“The Power of Time Off” – Stefan Sagmeister
How stepping away from constant work creates space for true creativity.

“In Praise of Slowness” – Carl Honoré
A TED classic on reclaiming slow, intentional living from the rush of urgency.

“How to Make Work-Life Balance Work” – Nigel Marsh
Honest, humorous talk on reclaiming time for what matters.

“The Case for a 4-Day Workweek” – Juliet Schor
Research-based argument for restructuring time in modern work systems.

Experts

David Graeber – Anthropologist and social theorist on bureaucratic structures

Cal Newport – Expert in attention economics and digital minimalism

Carl Honoré – Author of “In Praise of Slowness,” advocate of the Slow Movement

Sherry Turkle – MIT sociologist researching human-technology relationships

Tristan Harris – Former Google ethicist, founder of the Center for Humane Technology

Research

“Why Software Is Eating the World” – Marc Andreessen, The Wall Street Journal
Explores the pervasiveness of software systems in daily life.

“The Cost of Context Switching” – Harvard Business Review
How jumping between systems and tasks damages productivity and well-being.

“Digital Overload and Human Stress” – American Psychological Association
Shows the physiological toll of system fatigue, digital friction, and multitasking.

“The Productivity Myth” – Scientific American
Why doing more faster isn’t necessarily effective—or healthy.

“Ikigai and the Japanese Philosophy of Purpose” – Journal of Positive Psychology
Academic study of mindful, slow living as an antidote to burnout.