Learn to prioritize

Learn to prioritize

Learn to prioritize important over urgent, i.e., focus on being effective, not efficient.

One way of ensuring effectiveness is to each night before going to bed, deciding on the most important thing you can do the next day. Start the following day by devoting time to achieving this important thing first, before answering emails, etc.  

Even if the rest of the day is filled with unproductive meetings and answering questions for others via emails; you will have achieved progress by getting something important done.