The Mishnah, on a tangent away from Shabbat laws, puts a priority on prayer at the proper time. One does not begin certain activities (getting a haircut, going to the baths, sitting down to a meal ,going to a tannery, sitting for a lawsuit) before the afternoon (Mincha) prayer. The Talmud explains that the fear is the activities might become extended and one will miss the prayer.
Interesting snapshots into daily life and business as the specific tasks are unpacked. For example, it seems that either the Babylonian Jewish men or those still in Israel (the text is unclear which) wore tightly belted clothes which had to be loosened before eating!
In any case the message is clear: take care of the important things (prayer) first.
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