Applying the 80/20 Rule
Do you know that 20% of your daily activities can account for 80% of your results? Meaning, if you focus on your most productive tasks, they can account for 80% of your success, even though it is only 20% of your list.
The whole concept of the 80/20 rule is figuring out your most important tasks, or the ones that will yield the most results, and to work on them first. Prioritizing your day to work on the task with the most value first will allow you to be more productive in your day as you work on the other 80% of your less productive tasks.
Tracy shares that often two of your ten tasks can be worth the other eight all together. They each might take the same amount of time, but the top two will yield the most success and will be the most rewarding. The whole eating your frog concept come from one’s desire to never eat a frog. We can look at our big tasks in the same light, and the longer we stare at the lumpy, slimy, green thing, the harder it is to take the first bite. Your top two tasks would be your frogs. Start with the ones that are harder to tackle, and get them out of the way. You will feel more productive and have a desire to continue to work through your list with the big tasks out of the way.
It is normal for us to want to do the easiest tasks first. We are wired that way, but by the time we get to the harder or larger tasks we either don’t have time to finish them or are to tired to tackle them. They then are procrastinated for the next day and the vicious cycle begins.
Busyness does not equal being successful. Often, people fill their schedules with this-and-that, but at the end of the day, little is accomplished, and they are left feeling empty and tired. The next morning, they start the same pattern and yield the same results.
So my challenge to you is to change your habits. Instead of filling your day with tasks upon tasks that leave you feeling overwhelmed and unaccomplished, focus on the tasks that bring you feelings of success. Feeling unproductive can lead to lower self-confidence and can give you a false view of your potential. Don’t let the small tasks rob from you the feeling of happiness, success, and self-worth.
Make a list of your goals, tasks, or projects and choose the ones that are in your top 20%. These few tasks will fulfill your heart and encourage your soul much more than the other 80%. Make those a priority and focus on them daily!