The older I get, the more I realize that most of our overwhelm doesn’t come from the amount of work we have – it comes from not knowing what to do first.
In any busy, purpose-driven organization – whether you’re building systems for equity, managing national funding cycles, or supporting communities where change is slow and deep – every request arrives with its own sense of urgency. And if we’re honest, most of us have internalized the belief that if something lands on our plate, it must be important. Worse, it must be done now.
This is especially true when each task has an owner – a champion who believes, rightly, that their initiative matters. But when everything feels like a priority, the word “priority” loses meaning. There’s no hierarchy, no shared lens. And without a frame, urgency becomes the default – not because we’re disorganized, but because we care.
At a recent lunch meeting with my team, we found ourselves sitting with this tension: how do we honour what matters to each person while also protecting our collective capacity to make thoughtful decisions? How do we differentiate between something that’s urgent for someone and something that’s urgent for the team?
We knew we needed language – not more process, not more planning cycles, but a shared vocabulary. A way to map work that’s simple, honest, and flexible enough to live inside real human conversations.
That’s why I introduced my team to the 4P Prioritization Framework. It’s not new in concept, but it’s grounded in experience – mine, and those around me.
Let me walk you through it.
We start with this basic insight: urgency and importance are different things. And yet, we often treat them as the same.
What’s interesting is how many frameworks already exist for this – think of Eisenhower’s matrix, or Covey’s urgent-important grid. But they rarely show up in day-to-day conversations. Why? Because, to most, they feel mechanical. The language often doesn’t translate.
So I have tried building something simpler. More intuitive. Something we could say out loud in a hallway or on a Slack thread without having to explain it twice. A language that respects emotional truth but still invites discernment.
I call it “The 4Ps: Pressing, Pivotal, Preventative, and Polishing.“
- Pressing means it’s Critical – we must act now. If this doesn’t get done today, there are consequences. It’s the equivalent of running out of gas on a road trip. No time for debate.
- Pivotal means it’s Essential – we must act soon. It’s not a crisis yet, but it’s on a clear path to becoming one. Think of a spare tire – it’s working, but you wouldn’t want to drive cross-country on it.
- Preventative is the quiet one. It means we must act before it becomes urgent. These are the things we skip because they don’t shout – systems maintenance, thoughtful planning, due diligence. But when we skip them long enough, they show up at our door as emergencies.
- Polishing is Enhancing – do it if and when you can. These are the nice-to-haves. They improve quality, brand, elegance. But they won’t break anything if we pause. Sometimes, they’re even a form of procrastination in disguise.
What I love about this model is that it creates space – not just for better planning, but for better listening. It invites each of us to reflect on our own urgency bias. Are we escalating something because it matters, or because it’s easier to escalate than to plan? Are we polishing because we believe it adds value, or because we’re avoiding the hard part?
And, for me, it works. Here’s a snapshot from a real-world finance and accounting lens – in the context of a community foundation in Canada:
| Task Examples | Relevant “P” | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Fixing payroll before deposits are submitted | Pressing | Non-negotiable timeline – act now. |
| Preparing Q2 board-ready financials | Pivotal | Must be done soon – block time to focus. |
| Running audits on recurring donation receipts | Preventative | Not urgent now, but critical for long-term trust and clarity. |
| Reorganizing digital file naming conventions | Polishing | Useful, but not essential – fit it in if bandwidth allows. |
This is not about creating rigid categories. In fact, what makes this framework work is its flexibility. Something can move from Preventative to Pivotal. Pressing items can become Polishing items with enough foresight. The point isn’t to trap tasks in a box – it’s to create a starting point for dialogue.
And if I’m honest, the most powerful P – the one that often gets ignored – is Preventative. Not just because it’s unappreciated, but because it requires imagination. You have to believe in a future consequence that hasn’t happened yet. You have to act on foresight, not just feedback.
In a world that rewards reaction, that’s radical.
But I’d argue that Preventative work is the highest form of leadership. It’s the kind of planning that builds trust. The kind of thinking that prevents fires rather than fighting them. And it’s the kind of habit that turns overwhelmed teams into resilient ones.
So if you’re reading this and thinking “this could help my team,” here’s the simplest way to use it:
- Start labeling your tasks with one of the 4Ps.
- Use that label to have a conversation – not a verdict.
- Be willing to move things around as the context shifts.
- Make space for Preventative work. Schedule it. Protect it. Celebrate it.
- Don’t confuse Polishing with progress. Beauty is valuable, but timing is everything.
And remember: not everything needs to be done now, but everything should have a place.
Because when we take the time to name our work clearly, we create more than just order. We create trust. We honour each other’s time. We give space for excellence without burning out. And we start to reclaim the feeling – the rare, powerful feeling – of being in control of what we choose to do.
No framework will ever replace judgment. That’s the job of leadership. But frameworks like this? They give us handles. They help us build the muscle to respond instead of react. And they remind us that wisdom lives not in doing everything – but in knowing what matters most, when.
Let’s start there.