Don't Let Urgency Bias Derail Your Long-term Business GoalsHere are three techniques for choosing important tasks over urgent ones.

Imagine you're facing a typical, busy weekday. You've got a long to-do list, including some work on a pivotal project, and an inbox full of email messages. In this situation, many people would choose to hit "Inbox Zero" before turning to more crucial tasks.

This approach probably isn't in our best interest — but it's not entirely our fault, either. According toresearch, humans are predisposed to choose urgent tasks, even when it hinders our progress on more meaningful work. It's called "urgency bias."