https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/essential-advice-for-fledgling-scientists/

On one of those sleepless nights when the stream of e-mails kept coming in steadily until midnight and I couldn’t stop responding given my responsibilities as chair of Harvard’s Astronomy department, the administrator at the other end asked bluntly: “Wondering how you are so time efficient. Any tips?”

My response was simple: “I keep my desk clean because it takes more time to return again and again to pending tasks that pile up. As they say in combat units: “do not take hostages because they slow you down.”