The 80/20 Rule: How I Use It to Shape My Daily Schedule

The 80/20 Rule: How I Use It to Shape My Daily Schedule

I’m a big believer in the 80/20 principle—also known as the Pareto Principle. It’s the idea that 80% of results come from 20% of efforts. You’ve probably heard this applied to business or economics, but I’ve found it to be a powerful tool for managing something even more limited: my time and energy.

Here’s the reality: I have a fixed amount of bandwidth each day. So if I’m not intentional about where it goes, I end up busy but not necessarily productive—or worse, drained and off-course. That’s why I’ve started to filter my daily schedule through the lens of 80/20 thinking.

Prioritizing Value Over Activity

Not all tasks are created equal. Some of them generate outsized returns—progress toward big goals, deeper connections with my audience, or that rare sense of creative flow. These are the golden 20%, and my aim is to identify them early and give them priority.

That might mean spending a little more time refining a key piece of content instead of checking off five low-impact to-dos. Or choosing one high-leverage conversation over several surface-level ones. I ask myself: What’s the expected outcome of this activity? Does it actually move the needle?

Measuring Impact, Not Just Completion

After the fact, I don’t just move on—I evaluate. Did this thing actually deliver the result I hoped for? Did it resonate with people? Did it open doors or spark ideas? Every activity becomes a mini-experiment, and the results turn into lessons I can carry forward.

It’s a loop of action, reflection, and refinement. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s progress. Over time, this cycle helps me build a more intentional workflow where effort and impact are better aligned.

Lessons Learned, Better Decisions

One unexpected benefit of applying the 80/20 lens is clarity. It helps me say no with more confidence—because I know what I’m saying yes to. It also builds a kind of intuition over time. The more I reflect on what’s working (and what’s not), the sharper my sense becomes for choosing what to focus on next.

In the end, this isn’t just about productivity—it’s about purpose. I want to spend my days doing work that matters. The 80/20 principle helps me spot the signal in the noise and show up where it counts.