If you are going to lead yourself and others well, you must learn the disciplines of making good decisions about how to spend your time. There are clearly times every day when someone else decides what we need to do. However, in the majority of situations, we are the ones that decide what is most important. This HBR post is excellent:
“Project creep, slipping deadlines, and a to-do list that seems to get longer each day — these experiences are all too common in both life and work. With the new year resolution season upon us, many people are boldly trying to fulfill goals to “manage time better,” “be more productive,” and “focus on what matters.” Development goals like these are indeed important to career success. Look no further than large-scale surveys that routinely find time management skills among the most desired workforce skills, but at the same time among the rarest skills to find.”