How to Optimize Your Time with the 80-20 Rule
Advice on time management using the 80-20 Principle for authors and bloggers.
Most people don’t realize the time management skills needed to be an author or blogger. Not only do writers create all their original and marketing content, they manage vendors and partnerships and essentially run an entire business (usually on their own).
Because of this, writers have to become experts and managing schedules and to do lists. Here is a basic overview of how to manage your tasks utilizing the 80-20 Rule (See the FREE downloadable worksheet below!).
The 80-20 Principle states that, “80% of outcomes (or outputs) result from 20% of all causes (or inputs) for any given event.”
This helps guide my tasks as I determine what should (and should not) be prioritized.
There are FIVE task buckets we’re going to use in this framework for managing your time.
Two-Minute Tasks
20-80 Tasks
80-20 Tasks
Goals
Fun & Recharging
So, let’s focus on the first three. Which of these tasks should we prioritize?
You might be surprised, but the TWO-MINUTES TASKS should ALWAYS be done immediately. These are the ones that can be done in literally a few minutes, that are very dangerous to ignore. Throwing away junk mail instead of letting it pile on your desk, you know?
If you ignore a 2-minute task, it very quickly becomes an 80-20 task, which we want to avoid.
The next tasks to prioritize are 20-80 tasks. THESE are the high-producing tasks that result in 80% of your success. 80% of your output comes from these 20% tasks.
Example: Getting Healthy
These are 20-80 tasks (tasks that generally take 20% of your efforts for 80% results) that SHOULD be your main focus:
Walking into a gym and working out
Walking/ jogging outside
Putting healthy, nutritious food into your body
Drinking enough water every day
Getting plenty of sleep
These are 80-20 tasks that do NOT produce those valuable, 80% results:
Researching cute gym clothes
Reading blogs about which supplements you should take
“Motivating” yourself with a new protein shake or fun athletic purchase
Talking to your friends about the most effective workout methods
Spending time discouraged about your current health state (guilty)
Are you starting to see why this framework is so important?
YAY, now on to the fun part!
FUN and Recharging tasks are actually super important, which need to be prioritized daily! For 1 HOUR a day, you should choose from among your favorite relaxing, fun tasks. If you’re an introvert, that might be getting some R&R at the pool with a book or writing the next chapter in your book (I want to help you get that published by the way).
If you’re an extrovert, this might be a board game with friends.
Finally, your goals are the guiding, final results that direct everything else you do. Goals are simple, but powerful, and should be written out and displayed proudly for yourself when you start achieving them!
Break Goals out into 1 year, 3 year, 5 year and 10 year landmarks that you will celebrate and remember. Envision yourself achieving those as you determine your other task buckets!
So the complete workflow is this:
Complete 2 minute tasks immediately > Prioritize 20-80 tasks > 1 hour of a Fun task per day > Minimize 80-20 tasks by completing them as needed or AFTER the 20-80 tasks if possible.
See the FREE downloadable worksheet with buckets for each task type at the link below!
