boy, am I in the middle of this one:

not letting the urgent be the enemy of the truly important.

differentiating between the urgent and the important is absolutely critical to living well and being well (google urgent vs. important and you'll find all sorts of resources on the matter). but it's both extremely difficult to do, as well as extremely difficult to stand by.

important: climate change.

urgent: your to do list.

I learned while writing my dissertation you can fill your day with "urgent" things, like making money and grocery shopping, and never actually get your big work done. now, clearly making money and feeding oneself are important things to do. but if they do not directly contribute to your big work, your calling, they can be merely means toward survival and getting by.

important: writing your book.

urgent: paying bills.

but identifying what's truly important and what's merely urgent is not easy. urgent stuff seems important enough. which is why so few people ever write their novel from start to finish or start their nonprofit. we can fill up our entire lives with the urgent and never actually get to the important.

once you know what your truly important, central work is, keep that front and center, and work on it, every day.

that does not mean ignoring the urgent. by all means, make a living and take care of things. but make sure the important stays in the center of the rotation, and doesn't get drowned out by the daily cries for the urgent.