20% For 2020

Starting The Year Strong

We’re not only in the beginning of a new year, we’re in the beginning of a new decade! Think about all of the things that’s changed in the past 10 years (Uber, Snapchat, Instagram, IPads), and imagine what will come in the next 10! The world is our oyster and we are swimming in a world of infinite possibilities.

Where does that leave you? Did you think you would be where you are today, back in 2010? Can you imagine where you’ll be in 2030? The results you get are 100% derived from the actions that you take. What do you need to do today to get to where you want to be in 2030?

The Pareto Principle

In order to live the lives we dream about, we need to be deliberate with our actions. That’s where the 80/20 rule comes into play, also known as the Pareto principle. The Pareto principle states that 80% of the yield comes from 20% of the crops. This principle can be applied to almost everything we do in life.

Think about your own life and career up until this point. Aren’t there some activities that create more results than others? Isn’t the inverse true? Aren’t there a ton of mundane and brainless tasks that you do on a daily basis that does nothing for your long term growth?

Only Work On Important Tasks!

My slogan for the year is to find the 20% for 2020. We should all be striving to identifying and working on the 20% of our lives that create 80% of the results that we want. In my case, I used to spend a lot of time editing and creating promotional materials for my podcast, but the majority of my efforts should have been spent on creating more content and speaking to more guests.

People often get wrapped up in the minutiae, that they fail to see the easy ways to create the results that they want. They over-analyze a situation and believe that since you need to complete a 10-step process to do something perfectly, it requires too much effort and it’s not worth the hassle. Then days, weeks, and months go by, and they end up doing nothing. The inactivity caused them to miss out on their dream!

On the other hand, think about how productive we could be if we ONLY focused on the 20% that mattered. It’s possible that we might only be operating at 80% of our fullest potential (something that control freaks have a hard time grasping), but we’ll be freeing our time to do more of what’s important. It’s important to realize that TIME is our most valuable asset, and we only get so much of it. Whenever we have the opportunity, we should focus on delegating tasks that aren’t essential, or just skipping them altogether.

Hire Online

For those of you who have never hired someone before, try it! Go on job sites such as Onlinejobs.ph or Upwork.com and find a team member who will gladly handle the tasks that you don’t enjoy doing. Like I mentioned earlier, I hate editing content or taking notes and converting what was said on my podcast or videos into written form. So I go on those websites to find talented individuals who can help me achieve my goals. But be warned, when you post your job listing, dozens of applicants will raise their hands to ask for a job from you.

You need to learn how to strategically pick out the ones who will deliver the best work. I typically give them a small, unpaid test. This filters out around 90% of the applicants, which is good, because I know that if they can’t be bothered to do a small test, then they probably won’t have the initiative to do good work in the future. I filter out the other applicants based on the results of the test. Then I speak with them over Google Hangouts to get a feel for their personality and enthusiasm for the position.

If you’re interested in learning more about outsourcing and only working on the critical tasks that matter, check out Tim Ferris’ book The 4-Hour Workweek.

How Will You Spend Your Time?

Take a look at your own life and think about all of the things that you’re doing that doesn’t get you anywhere. What are the things that you enjoy doing that will help you move the needle? Is it possible to outsource the mundane work that causes us to hate our jobs or eventually give up on our dreams?

The decade is just beginning, and I’m excited to focus on the 20%…100% of the time. Work smarter and see just how different your life will be in 2030.