Get All Access for $5/mo

The Essence of Genius Is Simplification In this video, author Perry Marshall discusses the 80/20 rule to time management.

By Jason Fell

The 80/20 rule -- the adage that 20 percent of customers equal 80 percent of sales -- applies to every facet of life, personally and professionally. One of the biggest areas this holds true is in time management. Especially for time-strapped entrepreneurs.

"We usually know 900 ways to solve a problem," Perry Marshall, author of 80/20 Sales and Marketing, says in the video above. "What must of us do, we elaborate on things, add complexity to things, add buttons and bells and whistles and features until what we end up with is like the inside of a jumbo jet cockpit."

To manage our time better, we should focus on the tasks with the biggest return on our investment and consider outsourcing the rest. You can hire a personal assistant or a house-cleaning service.

With the tasks that remain, keep them simple and streamlined. "The essence of genius is simplification," Marshall says.

Related:

The 3 Critical Elements to Selling Online Like a Pro

One Way to Turn Customers Into Raging Fans: Be Controversial

Finding Customers Fast and the 80/20 Rule of Sales

'Rack the Shotgun': Using the 80/20 Rule to Identify Your Best Customers

The 80/20 Rule and How to Supercharge Your Sales and Marketing

Jason Fell

Entrepreneur Staff

Former Managing Editor

Jason Fell is the former managing editor of Entrepreneur.com.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Fundraising

Working Remote? These Are the Biggest Dos and Don'ts of Video Conferencing

As more and more businesses go remote, these are ways to be more effective and efficient on conference calls.

Growing a Business

The Best Way to Run a Business Meeting

All too often, meetings run longer than they should and fail to keep attendees engaged. Here's how to run a meeting the right way.

Starting a Business

How to Find the Right Programmers: A Brief Guideline for Startup Founders

For startup founders under a plethora of challenges like timing, investors and changing market demand, it is extremely hard to hire programmers who can deliver.

Productivity

My Employees Taught Me These 5 Lessons on Productivity

Entrepreneurs should focus on understanding and catering to individual work patterns and needs rather than enforcing one-size-fits-all productivity methods.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Growing a Business

You Need an Advisory Team More Than Ever. Here's Why — and How to Run One Effectively.

The right advice, particularly in a company's early stages, can be an existential matter: how to surround yourself with the right minds.