The Slow Burn: Productive Urgency

Acting with a sense of urgency will get you further than failing to act at all.

For me, urgency isn’t about panic or chaos. It’s about movement. When I act with urgency, I learn faster. Trying and failing quickly gives feedback. Feedback creates clarity. Clarity creates momentum. Inaction, on the other hand, just creates noise in my head.

I’m no stranger to analysis paralysis.

Case in point: The Cheesecake Factory.

Some people see that menu as a culinary playground. Italian. Asian. Mexican. American classics. Steaks. Pastas. Salads pretending to be healthy. Cheesecakes stacked like holy relics behind glass. For them, it’s relaxing…options for days.

For me? It’s overwhelming.

How am I supposed to make a good decision when every page feels like a different restaurant? How do you eat healthy when you’re being tempted by dessert debauchery before the waiter even takes your drink order? I’ll sit there for what feels like an eternity, reviewing, comparing, weighing pros and cons…only to order the same thing I always do.

Sweet corn tamale cakes.

They’re technically an appetizer, but I get them as my main course every single time. No regrets. Zero growth.

That’s me in a nutshell.

I’ll research something to death. I’ll read reviews. Watch videos. Ask opinions. Build spreadsheets. All in the name of making the “right” decision. But what I’ve learned, often the hard way, is that taking the first step imperfectly is almost always better than waiting for the perfect plan.

Even when I make the wrong choice, I learn something. I eliminate a path. I gain experience. I adjust. That’s failing forward. And failing forward beats standing still every time.

There’s a trade-off here, though.

Somewhere between reckless action and paralyzing overthinking lies an intersection…a balance point between urgency and patience. Too much urgency, and you create chaos. Too much patience, and you create excuses. Wisdom lives in knowing when to move and when to wait.

That’s what I mean by productive urgency.

It’s not speed for speed’s sake. It’s not hustle culture nonsense. It’s about focusing on the right things, executing with intention, and being willing to learn from your mistakes instead of hiding from them. It’s about lighting the cigar instead of staring at it, wondering how it might smoke.

Brolo was built with that mindset.

There were plenty of moments where I didn’t have all the answers. Moments where the blend wasn’t perfect. The packaging wasn’t final. The timing wasn’t ideal. If I had waited until everything felt “ready,” Brolo would still be an idea scribbled in a notebook.

Instead, I chose productive urgency. Make the call. Take the meeting. Test the blend. Adjust. Repeat.

Cigars themselves teach this lesson if you’re paying attention. You don’t rush them, but you don’t hesitate either. You cut, you light, you commit. You stay present. You let it evolve. If something’s off, you note it for next time…but you don’t throw the whole experience away.

That’s how life works too.

Productive urgency is about respecting time without worshiping speed. It’s about movement with purpose. Action with awareness. Learning by doing.

So whether you’re staring at a menu, a decision, or the next step in your life…don’t wait forever for the perfect choice.

Order the tamale cakes if that’s what you always do.
But every now and then…try something else.

Light up.
Lean in.
Learn as you go.

That’s the slow burn.