A Clock That Doesn’t Panic
There’s a wind-up alarm clock on my nightstand. It ticks softly, no glowing screen, no voice assistant threatening to schedule a productivity webinar. Just a steady little tick, and when the time comes, a ring. Not a scream. Not a siren. Just a sound that says, It’s time.
It’s always on time.
Never in a rush.
Never in a mood.
No drama,
no existential threats.
Just reliable motion.
It’s kind of the opposite of how we treat urgency these days.
We’ve been trained to think that urgency has to come with a heart rate spike. That if it doesn’t feel like mild panic, we’re not doing enough. Everything’s a countdown. Every email is marked urgent even when it’s just Sharon asking for a snack budget update.
This clock? It doesn’t panic. And yet, it works. It moves the day forward. It wakes me up, and it does it all without setting off an internal fire alarm.
Maybe there’s something to learn from that.
Urgency, But Make It Calm
Urgency has gotten a bit of a branding problem. Somewhere along the way, we started confusing it with chaos.
We're told that if it’s urgent, it must be frantic. Loud.
Adrenaline-fueled.
Something that makes your eye twitch a little. The kind of urgency that has its own theme music and probably wears a Bluetooth headset.
The thing is urgency doesn’t have to shout. It doesn’t need flashing lights or countdown timers. Sometimes, it’s just quiet conviction. A steady hum in your bones that says, keep going, this matters.
There’s a version of urgency that feels more like a nudge than a shove. It’s the kind that helps you take the next step—not sprint toward a finish line you didn’t agree to.
Gentle urgency is the kind that reminds you
to drink water before you get dehydrated.
It helps you apologize before the awkwardness calcifies.
It nudges you to start the project—not because you’re behind, but because you’re ready.
It’s movement without panic.
It’s progress with a soft voice, and let’s be honest soft voices are a lot easier to live with at 6:45 a.m.
What Gentle Urgency Looks Like
Gentle urgency might sound like a paradox like “jumbo shrimp” or “seriously funny”—but it’s very real.
It shows up in small moments, the kind that don’t make your heart race but still get things moving.
Think about the friend who texts you: “Hey, just a reminder to drink some water today,” instead of a full-on health intervention complete with kale smoothies and guilt trips.
Or the to-do list that doesn’t shout CRUSH IT! in bold, caps lock, and red ink. Instead, it quietly says: “Maybe start with one thing.”
Even your inner voice can practice gentle urgency. It’s not the screaming coach yelling, Why aren’t you farther by now?!It’s the calm voice saying, You’ve got this. One step at a time.
Gentle urgency isn’t about doing everything all at once or yesterday. It’s about keeping the wheels turning without spinning out.
It’s progress you can live with, not exhaustion you have to recover from.
The Alarm You Actually Trust
Sustainable momentum isn’t about frantic bursts or crashing finish lines. It’s about showing up, day after day, with kindness toward yourself and your pace.
So next time you feel the weight of the world demanding your immediate attention, remember the little wind-up clock on the nightstand. It doesn’t panic. It doesn’t shout. It just keeps ticking, reliable and steady.
And sometimes, that’s exactly what we need to wake up.
-No Apologies, Just Stories
No Apologies, Just Stories : Free to read, but powered by caffeine.
If this post brought a smile or sparked a thought, consider buying me a coffee.