If you don't pay attention to the things that have your attention, you'll give them more attention than they deserve.

You don't manage priorities, you have them.

It's hard to be fully creative without structure and constraint. Try to paint without a canvas. Creativity and freedom are two sides of the same coin. I like the best of both worlds. Want freedom? Get organized. Want to get organized? Get creative.

The reason that deadline actually can work very well for you is what it forces you to do is make decisions.

Once a week, do a thorough review of all your projects in as much detail as you need to. If you do, your systems will work. If you don't, no system will work.

At at any point in time, knowing what has to get done, and when, creates a terrain for maneuvering.

Anything that does not belong where it is, is an "open loop" pulling on your attention.