5:42am — the firehouse alarm rings, and ninety seconds later, Engine No. 42 rolls out of the station, on its way to a two-alarm fire.
9:17am — after settling into the controller’s chair in the aviation tower at O’Hare, Jim Whasshisface plugs his headset into the console, and guides airplanes to safe landings, one after the next.
10:51am — the Madison High School bell rings, and students flood the hallways, scurrying like decaffeinated beavers on their way to their next subject.
But when you sit down at your desk each morning, do you know — with half the clarity of firemen, air traffic controllers, or high school students — what you should work on?
