You’re not just busy. You’re burning out: 5 signs urgency culture is running your life — and how to break free

You know you’re in trouble, when you start having nightmares about unsent emails.

It happened to Dubai-based Rhea Chinoy an IT professional, and it well, happens to the rest of us. She was so anxious about work for a month, that she kept seeing numbers in her sleep. And when she would wake up, she would check her phone first, before even getting out of bed. "I think that I was just running on fumes till I finally had a breakdown and quit my job. Took a break for months," she says.

That’s the exhaustion of urgency culture. Before the coffee is brewed, before the day has begun, we are already at the desk in our minds. We’re already trying to complete work that needed to be done yesterday, and to save ourselves from tomorrow. Every task is important, every ping is a fire, and slowing-down is a weakness. 

Needless to say, that’s a sign that you’re trapped in the urgency culture. Here’s what you can do about it. 

Read what experts have said about the hidden costs of urgency culture.

You feel guilty when you're not being productive

Downtime feels like wasted time. Even when you're resting, there's a voice in your head whispering: You should be doing something. Scrolling LinkedIn? That counts as networking. Watching a show? Maybe you should be ‘multitasking.’

Why it's toxic: Constant productivity isn’t something to be proud about. Your brain needs unstructured time to recharge, reflect, and reset. When rest becomes another task on your to-do list, you're not resting — you're performing rest.

You treat every message like an urgent one

A Slack message pops up. You stop mid-task to respond. Emails get answered at midnight. You pride yourself on being ‘responsive.’ But deep down, you're always a little anxious — because if you're not quick enough, you might be seen as uncommitted or unavailable.

The reality: True emergencies are rare. Most messages can wait. Constant responsiveness creates a false sense of urgency, and trains others to expect it from you. Boundaries aren't laziness, they’re how you stay sane.

You’re addicted to the adrenaline rush

Deadlines give you a thrill. Crises keep you sharp. You secretly enjoy pulling things off last minute — it makes you feel alive, useful, irreplaceable. But then you crash, badly. However, living in constant urgency may feel productive, but it’s emotionally exhausting. It shortens your attention span, frays your nerves, and slowly erodes your decision-making skills. Your best work comes from clarity, not chaos.

You confuse ‘important’ with ‘urgent’

You’re so busy putting out fires, you forget what matters. Long-term goals, strategic thinking, even your own well-being fall to the bottom of the list. 

Try this test: If everything’s urgent, nothing truly is. Learn to distinguish between tasks that are important (high impact, long-term value) and urgent, time-sensitive but not always meaningful. The latter screams loudest, but the former builds a life.

You’re emotionally exhausted but don’t know how to stop

You’ve normalised the hustle. You can't imagine what slowing down would even look like. Resting makes you anxious. Doing less feels like failure. But behind the busy exterior, you're running on fumes.

Here’s the truth: Urgency culture is not a personality trait, it's a system. And it benefits from your exhaustion. Reclaiming your time, your focus, and your peace takes intention — and sometimes, rebellion.

So, what can you do?

• Pause before you respond. Give yourself 10 minutes (or hours!) before jumping into non-urgent tasks.

• Start saying “not now.” Urgency doesn’t mean immediacy.

• Reclaim slow time. Take walks. Read without taking notes. Let your brain breathe.

• Resist urgency as identity. You're not more valuable because you're faster. You're more valuable when you're present, clear, and whole.