Objective reason?
Is there any objective reason to do the thing you're about to do?
This question is fundamental when in comes to effectively executing a goal. Now, be careful, there's a big difference between doing things effectively and doing things efficiently. Effective work means doing the right things. Doing things efficiently means doing the things right.The focus should always be on the effectiveness, as it doesn't matter how efficiently you've done the wrong thing. Or how efficiently you've failed to do the right thing. It's basically the same - zero value generated.
So, in order to succeed in everything we do, we should train ourselves to prioritize and agressively cut what's not a priority. And most importantly - we should do it based on objective truths, not merely whims and feelings.
One good approach to becoming better at this is to ask the simple question: "Is there any objective reason to do the thing I'm about to do?". If you find a single objective reason, which realistically provides value, go ahead. Otherwise - don't.