There ought to be a law

Never mind that it’s far-fetched: it’s a way of looking afresh at how we spend our time.

First, you’d have to get crystal clear on what your core accountabilities are, and what fulfilling them looks like.

Then you’d have to start shedding all the commitments, all the demands on your time, that do not feed directly into those core accountabilities.

This might upset the apple cart, but it would be liberating as well.

For starters, you could refuse to attend badly run meetings that do not help you do your job.

You could ignore the growing pile of unread emails, knowing that anyone with a legitimate claim on your attention will pick up the phone, if it’s important.

You could set important new goals, and enlist competent help to achieve them.

Imagine having the leisure to do your job well!