First things first

Activity doesn’t equal productivity. 

What you do and what order you do it in matters.

Here are two simple heuristics to help determine both: 

To determine what, consult your values: what do you care about the most really

To determine order, consult time: what will matter in the long run? Prioritize those things first. 

None of this is essential, of course — it just depends on how much serendipity you’re willing to tolerate.