Many deadlines can be changed by attorneys, clients or courts. Try remembering a time when you didn't respond to an urgent demand - that is, you did the work but rejected the time table. Keep a list of what's most important to you in a visible place. Every time you're presented with an urgent demand, compare it to your list. If not, what are your options.
Triage Use the concept of triage as a frame of reference.
Everyone goes to the ER believing that their situation is urgent. But the doctors don't allow the patients to define urgency. Patients with life-threatening problems are attended to first. Intermediate solutions are provided to ease distress for others who can wait for more thorough solutions. People whose health concerns can wait without harm to them simply have to wait.