Dear Boss: No, I Didn’t Forget. I’m Just Prioritizing What You Told Me Was Urgent Yesterday.

Written By Cari Borden

Welcome to the chaos culture, where everything is a fire drill, every task is a top priority, and no one seems to remember what they lit on fire yesterday.

If you’ve ever been caught between what was “absolutely critical” yesterday and what’s “suddenly more critical” today, this one’s for you. Because in some workplaces, the only consistent priority is… inconsistency.

The Toxic Tango of Shifting Priorities

Let’s call it what it is: chaos culture.
It’s the environment where:

Deadlines are elastic.
“Urgent” means “until I forget about it.”
And long-term strategy is replaced by short-term panic.

Employees aren’t struggling because they’re unorganized, they’re overwhelmed by constantly changing direction, lack of clarity, and bosses who mistake motion for progress.

Micromanagement Dressed as Leadership

When everything is a priority, nothing is. But many leaders confuse “being involved” with “being helpful.” So instead of setting clear direction, they chase symptoms, not root causes.

Cue the endless messages:

“Did you send the email I asked for yesterday?”
“Why haven’t you finished the deck I mentioned this morning?”
“I need you to jump on this new project, stop everything else.”

What’s missing? Trust. Strategy. Communication.

Let’s Be Real: This Isn’t a You Problem. It’s a System Problem.

Burnout doesn’t come from working hard. It comes from working aimlessly.
When you’re pulled in ten directions and criticized for not finishing the eleventh—that’s not leadership. That’s dysfunction.

And the fallout?

Talented employees who stop trying to get ahead, they’re too busy trying to stay afloat.
Missed opportunities for true innovation, because there’s no time to pause, think, or breathe.
Leaders who blame employees for low performance, without realizing they created the chaos.

Here’s What You Can Do (Until the Culture Catches Up)

🧭 Document your priorities. Keep receipts. Literally. When your boss says, “Do this now,” send a quick “Noted, will pause X to prioritize this.”

🎯 Ask for clarity. Force prioritization. Say, “Can you confirm which of these should come first?” Put the responsibility back where it belongs.

🧘 Set boundaries. If everything is always “last-minute,” it’s okay to say, “I need lead time to give this my best.”

📣 Speak up. If you’re brave (or just done), show them the trend: “I’ve noticed priorities are shifting daily. Can we realign so I can be more effective?”

The Real Question for Leaders: Do You Want Progress or Control?

If you’re a leader reading this and squirming a bit, good. That discomfort is a clue. Because constant reprioritization isn’t leadership. It’s control dressed up as urgency.

True leadership is:

Knowing what actually matters.
Giving your people time to execute well.
Resisting the temptation to chase every shiny thing.

Final Thought:

“Dear Boss, I didn’t forget. I reprioritized like you asked. The fact that your priorities change daily doesn’t mean I’m forgetful, it means I’m surviving.”

If this hits home, you’re not alone.
Need help navigating this madness? Check out my other blogs or book a session with me on Fiverr.
You don’t have to normalize the chaos just learn to rise above it.