Overwhelmed? How Smart Agency Leaders Prioritise When Everything Feels Urgent
Running a digital agency?
It can feel like juggling flaming swords on a tightrope, blindfolded… while Slack pings and the inbox screams.
Welcome to Tuesday.
If you’re leading a growing agency, you’ve felt it. That constant edge-of-burnout pressure where everything feels urgent and nothing truly gets finished. Too much noise. Not enough signal.
However…
This isn’t about doing more.
It’s about doing what matters.
And the leaders who scale sustainably, without burning out, all learn the same skill: ruthless prioritisation under pressure.
Here’s how they do it.
Cut the Noise. Find the Signal.
Overwhelm isn’t caused by too much work.
It’s caused by not knowing what to ignore.
The real work of leadership is choosing.
Start by asking:
Is this important? (Does it create long-term strategic value?)
Is it urgent? (Time-sensitive, but possibly irrelevant.)
Or is it just noise? (Someone else’s emergency dressed up as priority.)
Then ask the question that cuts through everything:
“What’s the ONE thing I can do right now that makes everything else easier or irrelevant?”
Most fires aren’t fires at all.
They’re distractions with excellent timing.
Zoom Out. Look Down from 30,000 Feet.
You can’t lead from the mosh pit.
You need the balcony view.
This is where strategy tools earn their keep, not as theory, but as filters.
Pull out your lenses:
Ansoff Matrix
OKRs
FiMO PC (Finance, Marketing, Operations, People & Culture)
Now challenge yourself:
Are we chasing shiny new things, or doubling down on what already works?
Are we fixing client churn, or just replacing it with more of the same?
What, exactly, are we trying to move this quarter?
Real strategy shows up in numbers:
margin, revenue, utilisation, retention.
If an activity isn’t shifting those, it’s probably noise.
Busyness Is a Trap. Strategy Is Saying No.
Low-value tasks are seductive.
They’re easy to complete. They feel productive.
They’re also the fastest route to stagnation.
Strategy is different.
Strategy means saying no ten times to say yes once.
Would a £10m agency CEO be doing this task?
If the answer’s no…
Why are you?
Use a Ruthless Filter
When the inbox starts boiling, don’t rely on willpower. Use a system.
A simple one that works:
The 4D Filter
Do it – Takes under two minutes and moves the needle? Do it now.
Defer it – Only if it directly supports your quarterly OKRs.
Delegate it – If it doesn’t need your brain, it shouldn’t get it.
Delete it – If it adds no real value.
Still unsure?
Run it through the Eisenhower Matrix (Important vs Urgent).
Boring name. Brutally effective.
Your Calendar Is a Strategic Weapon
Your diary isn’t admin.
It’s a strategy, made visible.
If your week is full of tactical fluff, don’t kid yourself… you’re managing, not leading.
Non-negotiable:
Block 90 minutes every week.
No calls.
No meetings.
No distractions.
Use it to:
Review key metrics
Reflect on OKRs
Ask the hard question: Where are we actually heading?
If it’s not in the diary, it doesn’t exist.
Get a Wiser Voice in the Room
When you’re drowning, swimming harder isn’t the answer.
Perspective is.
That’s why smart agency leaders surround themselves with people who’ll challenge them… advisory boards, peers, masterminds.
Not for reassurance.
For the truth.
You don’t need more hustle.
You need a mirror.
“You’re focused on the wrong fire.”
Final Thought: Strategy Over Speed
Busy is a badge worn by the burnt out.
You don’t need to move faster.
You need to focus harder.
Prioritise the right battles.
Say no more often.
Get clear on what actually matters.
When you do, the noise quietens.
The path clears.
And growth starts to feel less like chaos, and more like progress.
Simple.
Not easy.
But it works.