“Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.”
Every assistant has thought it.
Some of us have muttered it quietly.
Very few have ever said it out loud 😂.
Here’s the problem.
What gets labelled as urgent is often not urgent at all.
It is a decision that was left to the last minute.
It is procrastination.
It is someone else’s lack of preparation landing on your desk with a panicked expression and a tight deadline.
And assistants, being competent, calm, and deeply committed, step in. Again.
We reshuffle calendars.
We cancel our own priorities.
We absorb the stress.
We “just make it work”.
But over time, that has consequences.
When everything is treated as an emergency:
• Nothing is prioritised properly
• Strategic work gets squeezed out
• Burnout is normalised
• Poor planning is rewarded
So let’s be clear.
Supporting urgency when it genuinely exists is part of the role.
Normalising chaos is not.
Professional boundaries are not a lack of flexibility.
They are a tool for maintaining effectiveness.
Sometimes the most valuable thing an assistant can say is:
“What would you like me to deprioritise to make this happen?”
Or:
“When would you like this, realistically?”
Or even:
“I can do this, but not at the expense of X.”
That is not pushback.
That is partnership.
And a gentle reminder for assistants too:
If you protect everyone else’s time but never your own, the system will keep taking advantage of that.
You are not the emergency buffer for poor planning.
You are the person who brings order, foresight, and judgement into the room.
And that deserves respect.
