The loudest thing in your day is hardly ever the most important one. But it's usually the one that gets done.
The email, the ping, the small fire — they feel urgent, so we move on them. They also offer something the important things don't: a quick hit of finished. The thing that actually matters is slower, and gives no such reward, so it waits — sometimes for years.
By evening the loud things are handled and you're tired, and the one that counted is still sitting there. A day spent answering what's loud is not the same as a day spent on what's true. One leaves you empty and busy. The other leaves you a little further on.