This was a great reminder and pretty good synopsis of Covey's First Things First principle.  It was helpful the way you tied together concepts and real-world applications.  You packed a lot of punch into a very digestible package.  Thank you for the concept of "procrasti-working."  But I believe that the focus on managing a daily to-do list - even though it accurately reflects how I usually behave and think - forces one into short-term focus and distracts from the long-term planning necessary to the achievement of important goals.  I work weekly, so I try to plan weekly.  I first identify the things that I need to accomplish some time this week in order to move toward my goals and then decide approximately when during my week I will devote time to them (this is scheduling priorities, rather than prioritizing my schedule).  This keeps me focused on the truly important things and leaves my schedule flexible to respond to interruptions and unexpected needs without sacrificing any forward movement toward my goals.  It also avoids the frustration of trying to fit my priorities into a daily schedule that is frequently not entirely within my control.  One final thought:  the decision whether to vacation in Hawaii or attend the career-promoting class seems inclined toward scarity thinking.  Whenever I am faced with an either/or decision, I immediately question whether the question itself might be wrong.  Do I really have to choose between these two options or is there perhaps a third alternative that might be even better than the two apparent choices?  I liked the article and you made me think.  The path from responsibility to independence indeed requires establishing goals and developing the daily discipline to achieve them.  Weekly planning around priorities provides daily flexibility and freedom, while seeking the third alternative promotes the synergistic involvement of other people that opens the path from independence to interdependence.