We need to respond to emails and messages, read the news and catch up on things. But these activities don't have to fill our entire lives.
Create a container for each of these activities: set aside 30 minutes for responding to all your emails, another 30 minutes for messages (maybe 2-3 times a day), and so on.

Create containers for communication

To create space for what is meaningful, focus on important tasks. 
Pick just 3 (or even just 1) and focus on that first. Put aside everything else (you can come back to all that later) and create space for what’s meaningful in your life.

Focus on important tasks

Every single act is an opportunity to be fully with the activity. Everything we do can be a practice in breath, in presence, in deep consciousness.

Use any activity as a meditation

If the activity is important enough to include in your limited time, it’s important enough to give it your full focus.
If you’re going to write, close all other tabs and just write. If you’re going to brush your teeth, just do that.

One activity at a time

When you start your day, or any meaningful activity, ask what your intentions are for the day or that activity.
Do you want to be more present? Do you want to move your mission forward? Do you want to be compassionate with your loved ones? Set intentions and try to hold that intention as you move through the day or that meaningful activity.

Set intentions when starting the day

We can choose what we want in our lives deliberately, and what we don’t want and then set limits (or eliminate) that activity. 
For example, limit sugar to a snack every week, watch videos only between 6-7 pm etc. These kinds of limits help us to simplify and be more deliberate.

Simplify by limiting

Give each activity an importance, and when it’s done, give some weight to the space between activities.
Space is also important. We have the tendency to finish one task and then immediately launch into the next.

Pauses between activities

Simplify by limiting or banning. We don't have to say yes to every French fry or cookie, or every Youtube video or beer. We can choose what we want in our lives deliberately, and what we don't want (or want less of) ... then set limits or ban that activity.