Note from My Desk: Not everything urgent is actually important

When I moved to Paris, I was unsure where my career would go. I was open to almost anything while I got my bearings: teaching English, volunteer work, consulting projects, even a modest retail job if that was what the transition required.

But, I soon discovered something useful: working from Europe can be an advantage for U.S.-based policy and legal organizations.

Paris is six hours ahead of Washington, D.C.

So, 5:00 a.m. in D.C. is 11:00 a.m. for me.

By the time an American team is opening laptops and pouring coffee, I am several hours into the day: reading the news, organizing talking points, and preparing press materials.

Basically, your communications advisor workings “overnight” while your team sleeps.

When you come into the office, the first version of the briefing is already in your inbox.

Timeliness is important in communications, especially in public policy and law. When a story is moving, a delay can cost you the opportunity to shape the narrative.

But here is what people get wrong: not everything urgent is actually important.

A real crisis requires discipline and judgment. A performative crisis creates noise, burns time, and rewards the person who looks busiest rather than the person who thinks most clearly.

Good communications work is not about pretending everything is an emergency.

It is about knowing the difference.

• What needs an immediate response?

• What needs legal review?

• What should be ignored?

The goal is not to be frantic. The goal is to be ready.

And yes, if your organization needs early-morning media monitoring, rapid-response support, or a communications advisor who can have the first draft waiting before D.C. has finished its first cup of coffee, Krasne Strategies can help. ;)