"Some of the most important things in life are the least urgent, like calling a friend, that's not urgent. There's always something urgent that can take preeminence over some deep, important relationship."
This piece of wisdom came from Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, who I was not familiar with as a leader (his company of course), until I listened to him on Adam Grant's amazing Work Life podcast (one of my favorite podcasts right now.)
We like to think of ourselves as "busy", always having things to do, places to go. But the question is are we busy with the "right things", or are we taking time for the "right things" on our calendars?
It's true that when life is done, no one is going to say, "I wish I spent more time at the office, I wish I hadn't done that vacation or celebrated that person." It's relationships that make life rich. And even when they don't seem "urgent", they are "important" and valuable and worth it.
Maybe today is a great day to make plans with friends. . . I don't think you'll regret it.