The 80/20 Rule for Busy Entrepreneurs

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, INC., and The Coca-Cola Company, all opinions are mine alone. #SnackHonestly #CollectiveBias

Ever wonder why the more you work, the fewer results you achieve? The Pareto Principle or 80/20 rule can explain that. Business executives use the 80/20 rule as a tool to maximize productivity, and every busy entrepreneur in search of business success should too.

As per Wikipedia:

“The 80/20 rule states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.”

Whatever your business is, or entrepreneurial dreams are, the Pareto Principle can help you channel your energy towards those tasks, processes, or events that require the least amount of effort but yield the most results. To help you visualize that, I created a printable page that you can download for free. But first, let me tell you why the 80/20 rule is so important to me.

Ever wonder why the more you work, the fewer results you achieve? The Pareto Principle or 80/20 rule, can explain that. Use it to improve your productivity.

On a regular day -when I am home and not running errands- I sit and start working at 8:00 a.m. after I have dropped my son off at school. If you too are a busy mom and entrepreneur, you know how fast those kid-free hours fly by. Every minute counts, and I try to pack up as much work as I can. That’s why it is important for me to use my time wisely, doing things that bring me results, and avoiding those that take up a lot of my time and efforts for very low, to zero results.

Saving Time while Snacking Better

It doesn’t happen every day, but I am guilty of grabbing a quick breakfast sandwich at the coffee shop on my way back from school so that I can get to my desk as soon as possible. I must say, I wouldn’t say I like spending my time eating, let alone in the kitchen prepping food. Sometimes I grab a piece of toast or a cheese stick.

Midmorning, my stomach is begging for a snack, and what do I do? I steal a cookie from the cookie jar. Such a bad habit! I get so involved with my to-dos that I am starving when 1:30 p.m. rolls around because a cookie doesn’t cut it.

Ever wonder why the more you work, the fewer results you achieve? The Pareto Principle or 80/20 rule, can explain that. Use it to improve your productivity.

Luckily, there’s a better-for-you way to snack. I recently tried Lorissa’s Kitchen Korean Barbeque Beef snacks, and I was blown away by the amazing flavor. Lorissa’s Kitchen products feature what they like to call a clean label. This little but mighty bag is packed up with 100% Grass-Fed Beef and no preservatives. I particularly like that it doesn’t have any added MSG either, and it’s gluten-free.

Snacking on these helps me maintain a healthy lifestyle without sacrificing flavor. A premium protein, low in carbs that keeps me active on my busiest days. The fact that I don’t have to prep my snack is a time saver. I can spend more time doing what I love and less time making snacks.

It is portable and doesn’t need immediate refrigeration after opening, so I can throw it in my bag and tow it along with my necessities because I am always on the go.

Ever wonder why the more you work, the fewer results you achieve? The Pareto Principle or 80/20 rule, can explain that. Use it to improve your productivity.

I picked up Lorissa’s Kitchen Korean Barbeque Beef at my local Walmart. I also tried the Szechuan Peppercorn, this one has such a yummy kick! You can find these at the front of the store, near the registers. Look for the special sign that says ‘From Farm to Table’.

Ever wonder why the more you work, the fewer results you achieve? The Pareto Principle or 80/20 rule, can explain that. Use it to improve your productivity.

Ever wonder why the more you work, the fewer results you achieve? The Pareto Principle or 80/20 rule, can explain that. Use it to improve your productivity.

And because this girl can’t resist some tea, I also grabbed a bottle of ice-cold Honest Tea® in the cooler, right by the register. My favorite flavor: Honey Green Tea. Love that -like the label says- it’s ‘Just a Tad Sweet!‘. I couldn’t agree more.

Ever wonder why the more you work, the fewer results you achieve? The Pareto Principle or 80/20 rule, can explain that. Use it to improve your productivity.

Can you believe Honest Tea only costs $1.48 at Walmart? And, there’s an Ibotta offer you don’t want to miss. You can earn $1.00 cashback when you purchase both (Lorissa’s Kitchen Protein Snacks™ and Honest Tea®). Just download the app and scan your receipt. Make sure both products are on the same receipt.

  • Earn $1.00 cash back with the purchase of following combo, exclusive at Walmart:
    • Lorissa’s Kitchen™ Premium Protein Snacks – Any variety – 2.25 oz. bag
    • Honest Tea® – Any variety – Single bottle only

Both products must be purchased on the same receipt to receive credit for this rebate

The 80-20 Rule

As a blogger, I am pulled in several directions. Every day, I face the same dilemma: what should I do? Content writing, photography, social media sharing engagement, promotions and newsletters, website design, affiliate marketing, etc. The list goes on and on. Here is where the 80-20 rule comes into play.

To understand the rule, imagine 4 possible scenarios in a work or business situation. There are several ways to classify these but for easy understanding, I named them: do now, designate, do later, and don’t do.  

Let’s take a look at each:

Ever wonder why the more you work, the fewer results you achieve? The Pareto Principle or 80/20 rule, can explain that. Use it to improve your productivity.

1. Do Now: this is the best scenario. These are tasks, processes, situations, decisions, that yield High Results with Low Efforts. In my business, these are things like creating printables, and digital products, as well as creating content, and writing tutorials that can bring me passive income. I work once in creating these products or writing compelling articles, and the income comes in daily without me having to work over and over again.

2. Delegate: this is a good scenario that still yields High Results but with High Efforts. An example of this scenario could be photography. Sometimes, I don’t have the time or the resources to make great photography, so I delegate that. Meaning, I pay for stock photography. I am still getting good results with professional photography, but I am not putting in the high efforts. Along the same lines, sharing my content on Pinterest or Twitter, manually, takes a lot of time. I delegate that to automated tools, such as Tailwind.

Ever wonder why the more you work, the fewer results you achieve? The Pareto Principle or 80/20 rule, can explain that. Use it to improve your productivity.

3. Do Later: this scenario is just OK. It yields Low Results with Low Efforts. In my particular situation, the perfect example would be Instagram promotions. Posting on Instagram does not require a lot of effort. However, my stats show that the traffic that I drive to my blog from Instagram is low, compared to other platforms. For now, I have it classified as a do later task.

4. Don’t Do: this is what I call a bad scenario. It yields Low Results with High Efforts. I have decided to put in this quadrant all handmade goods that require a lot of my time and efforts. These are not bringing me as much income as other products. There was a time when I would customize many products for my clients, and I went above and beyond to make what they wanted. Today, I am in a situation where I have developed better ways to increase my earnings, without spending money on materials and man-hours developing the product.

Will you remember the 4 Ds? Do Now, Delegate, Do Later and Don’t Do! Take this printable with you, tow it along with your snacks and jot down those ideas as they happen! To download, click on the link below.

The 80/20 Rule For Busy Entrepreneurs – Pareto Principle – Free Printable 

If you live a very active lifestyle, are a busy entrepreneur looking for ways to save time, use the 80/20 rule to help you prioritize, and learn how to focus your efforts on those tasks that give you higher results.

And don’t forget to add these snacks to your shopping list! You won’t be disappointed. I feel good about myself pairing Lorissa’s Kitchen products and Honest Tea, to create the perfect snack while I write my posts, and create products for my readers.

Enjoy,

Flavia
Ever wonder why the more you work, the fewer results you achieve? The Pareto Principle or 80/20 rule, can explain that. Use it to improve your productivity. #SnackHonestly #ad

4 Comments

Comments are closed.