The trouble with this approach is that you end up spending the best part of the day on other people's priorities, running their errands, and giving them what they need. By the time you finally settle down to your own work, it could be mid-afternoon, when your energy has dipped and it's hard to focus on anything properly. “Oh well, maybe tomorrow will be better,” you tell yourself. But when tomorrow comes round there's another pile of emails, phone messages, and to-do list items. If you carry on like this you will spend most of your time on reactive work, responding to incoming demands and answering questions framed by other people. It's a never-ending hamster wheel. And it will never lead to remarkable work, in Seth Godin's sense, “worthy of being remarked on.” We don't find it remarkable when our expectations are met – only when they are exceeded, or when we are surprised by something completely unexpected. The single most important change I've made in my own working habits has been to start doing things the other way round – i.e. begin the day with creative work on my own top priorities, with the phone and email switched off. And I never schedule meetings in the morning, if there's any way of avoiding it. This means that whatever else happens, I get my most important work done – and looking back, all of my biggest successes have been the result of making this simple change.We don't find it remarkable when our expectations are met – only when they are exceeded. These days, I have two popular blogs that bring me plenty of new business. I have e-books, training programs, an e-learning program, and a network of great contacts I can call on for help. I have qualifications, and more importantly the knowledge and skills I acquired through my studies. All of these things are assets that create ongoing value for my clients and for my business. Yet there wasn't a single day when I sat down to write each individual essay, blog post, training plan, or e-book chapter, without a string of people waiting for me to get back to them. It wasn't easy, and still isn't, particularly when I get phone messages beginning “I sent you an email two hours ago...!” By definition, taking this approach goes against the grain of others’ expectations, and the pressures they put on you. It can take an act of willpower to switch off the world, even for an hour, during the working day. For some strange reason, it feels “unprofessional” to be knuckling down to work in this way. The thing is, if you want to create something truly remarkable, it won't be built in a day. A great novel, a stunning design, a game-changing software application, a revolutionary company – this kind of thing takes time, thought, craft, and persistence. And on any given day, it will never appear as “urgent” as those four emails (in the last half-hour) from Client X or Colleague Y, asking for things you've already given them or which they probably don't really need. So if you're going to prioritize this kind of work – your real work – you may have to go through a wall of anxiety in order to get it done. And you'll probably have to put up with complaints and reproaches from people who have no idea what you're trying to achieve, and can't understand what could be more important than their needs. Yes, it feels uncomfortable, and sometimes people get upset, but it's much better to disappoint a few people over small things, than to sacrifice the big things for an empty inbox. Otherwise you're sacrificing real productivity for the illusion of professionalism. Here are a few tips to help you make the switch:

1. Creative work first, reactive work second.

Either start the day on your creative work, or make sure you block out time for it later in the day – preferably at a time when you typically feel energized and productive.

2. Tune out distractions.

You know the drill – email off, phone off, work from home if you can, stick your headphones on if you can't.

3. Make exceptions for VIPs.

Don't be reckless. If you're working with a client to a deadline, or your boss needs something urgently, treat them like VIPs and give them special access – e.g. leave the phone on and answer if they ring (everyone else gets the voicemail).

4. Be really efficient at reactive work.

You can't ignore everybody all the time. The better your productivity systems, the more promptly you'll be able to respond to their requests – and the more time you'll have free for your own work. -- Over to You Do you agree that ‘creative work first, reactive work second’ is the key to creating remarkable things?   How do you prioritize work on important-but-not-urgent projects? What benefits have you gained from doing this?