Last week, I was running from one meeting to another in the city when I passed an old friend on the street. "No time to talk, sorry!" I said as I hustled off.

When we connected by email a bit later, he said he hoped I had a good meeting, and that it was worth the hustle.

I couldn't remember where I had been headed.

It seemed important at the time.

I've got two takeaways for you:

• the first is that a lot of our day is spent doing stuff that seems urgent but really isn't.
• and the second is that most people buy most things in a state of urgency, not relaxation. We pay what we pay when we buy what we buy because right then, in that moment, it's not just important, it's vital.