Mastering the Art of Letting Some Fires Burn
A team at a growing startup faces a barrage of complaints: a buggy website, delivery slowdowns, customer emails piling up, and a looming product launch. The operations lead races from one fire to the next, but the mess only grows. In a tense update meeting, leadership decides to change strategy: rather than try (and fail) to fix everything at once, they agree to focus on just two life-or-death issues—the product launch and stabilizing delivery for their largest clients. They send a clear note to the rest of the team and customers: some fixes will be postponed, and yes, some support emails will go unanswered for now. Instantly, the daily chaos feels more manageable. Most team members, though tired, feel relieved that they can finally see what really matters. Customers are frustrated—but the promise of a vastly improved service in weeks’ time keeps many understanding. When the product launches and delivery stabilizes, not only does morale improve, but the team finds it easier to solve the next round of issues methodically rather than through constant fire drills.
This approach is rooted in the discipline of triage, common in emergency medicine—saving what is most vital, even when other issues are painful to ignore. In business, strategic neglect forces focus; in behavioral science, it connects to the principle of limited cognitive bandwidth and the importance of managing overload for better executive function.
Grab a notebook and jot down all the pressing problems in your world—be honest, even if it feels overwhelming. Rank them: which ones genuinely threaten your success, and which can wait? Decide, unapologetically, to let the lesser fires burn for now and communicate clearly with colleagues or family about what you’re tackling first. Set a time to revisit that list, knowing the smoldering issues can be handled in turn once the main crisis passes. This act of disciplined focus is hard, but the relief—and the results—will quickly remind you you chose well. Try this next time you feel swamped.
What You'll Achieve
Internal clarity on what demands your effort and where you can strategically neglect less critical tasks. Externally, faster progress on what matters and reduced burnout by focusing on high-impact solutions rather than spreading yourself too thin.
Choose What to Fix—And What to Ignore For Now
List your urgent problems and bottlenecks.
Write down all the challenges or issues facing your project, team, or study plan. Rank them by urgency and impact.
Prioritize by critical outcomes.
Decide which problems, if left alone, will actually prevent your progress or threaten your goal. Focus on those first—postpone lower-impact tasks.
Communicate your focus and trade-offs.
Let your group or stakeholders know which problems you are intentionally putting on the back burner, so they're not surprised.
Schedule review points to reassess priorities.
Set times to check which deferred issues now need attention, and be ready to change focus as the situation evolves.
Reflection Questions
- What ‘fires’ am I putting effort into that aren’t truly urgent?
- How would my results shift if I focused on only the top two issues?
- How can I ensure those around me understand the reasons for my priorities?
- What’s one sign I need to revisit my focus and shift attention?
Personalization Tips
- In a group project: Delay fixing presentation formatting problems until after the core research is done.
- At work: Temporarily let some minor customer complaints slide while you solve a major bottleneck that’s stopping orders.
- At home: Ignore clutter in the living room while addressing a broken appliance that affects everyone.
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