Some further reading on how to "Getting Serial" that I blogged previously... Michael Watkins outlines five strategies for dealing with "The Urgent vs. The Important".

Specifically;

1) Get clear about your priorities. You can do what you haven't prioritized. If its important, stick it at the top of the list.

2) If you have to work tactically, make sure that its productive. Its way to easy to devote energy towards reacting to things that are thrown at you. Avoid this.

3) Delegate more, and delegate more effectively. Its okay to delegate elements of strategic development to various members of your team. This will not only help you to focus on the big picture items that need your attention, it will also help them develop their skills.

4) Establish boundaries. Set aside sacred time each day and devote it to the things that really need your attention. Vigorously defend this time at all costs.

5) Make sure that you are part of the solution. Are you taking time to figure out how to prevent problems? Simply solving them when they come up isn't enough, you must spend time doing proactive problem prevention.

All great advice. I'm definitely going to subscribe to this blog.