Are you working hard on things that don't get you any result?

There is an old adage that says 20% of the work you do, will ultimately gain you 80% of your results. It’s an interesting theory, and one that I believe is worth diving into a little deeper.

I want you to consider the idea that, for as long as I can remember, we have been sold an idea that the harder we work the more we will gain. While I don’t totally disagree with this knowing that hard work eventually will pay off, I do think it’s worth considering the quality of the hard work we are putting in.

A lot of times I find myself, and i’m sure many others do as well, just sort of working to work. Putting in the reps hoping that eventually something does pay off. When you consider this, and then consider that most times 20% of this effort will pay off for 80% of the return you get. I think it’s worth considering are all the reps actually worth taking. See, one thing I have learned in my time in business is that time is truly the only asset you're not getting more of.

So when you consider this quote, and the time you spend working on all the projects that come your way, I think a time valuation is worth having. What does that mean? Sometimes just acting on everything isn’t the best move. Take a minute, breath, consider the time a project will take you and what the possible return is IF everything were to go exactly to plan. Now consider, what if it only goes 50% to plan (because let’s be honest even that is a lucky value return sometimes).

I think in doing this, we can better hone in on the 20% of things that keep 80% of the value we get. If we could optimize our life to only do the 20% of the things, and those really returned 100% of the value we got, well I think that sounds like a much better time - value balance.

Obviously that’s a perfect equation, and one that’s probably not reachable for most. But taking the extra time to strive to be closer to that in my opinion is time well spent.

Cal is the brain behind the quote the first post is written about, and frankly one of the guys you should be following to help balance your life. This is another one of his quote that I think deserves real attention.

Similar to the 80/20 rule, if we really focus on the things in life that matter (20%), and shed the things that don’t (80%), think of the time we buy back. I mean really think, how much of your life are you spending doing things that frankly aren’t going to move the needle for you, aren’t going to truly fill up your tank. I bet it’s more than you’d like to admit to yourself. But we all do it, it’s easy to fill your calendar, it’s harder to fill your cup.

Take the time to figure out what the things are that fill your cup, and start cutting out what doesn’t. I promise, as painful as it feels, you will infinitely benefit from the move.

Here we go again, feeling generous? Finding value in the content? Id love if you just shared the newsletter with even one friend, made a post on your story, or something. It really dose help.