It is a truism to say that intelligence and happiness depend almost exclusively on what we choose to pay attention to. However, this is much easier said than done. The individual and collective attention of teachers is often drawn in many different directions. Paying attention to what is truly important is becoming more and more difficult--including how teachers use their professional time. Covey (1989) has suggested that one of the fundamental keys to time and task management is to classify and prioritize responsibilities in terms of their importance and urgency. He has proposed a matrix similar to the one presented in this article. It sounds simple but staying on task can require considerable discipline. Teachers must be prepared to say no to other activities. They must ruthlessly re-examine the distractions in their professional and personal lives. The modern, digitized world of the profession makes this increasingly difficult but no less crucial. Common ways schools and school people squander time are also discusses.