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

By Jason Fell

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

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

VP, Native Content

Jason Fell is the VP of Native Content, managing the Entrepreneur Partner Studio, which creates dynamic and compelling content for our partners. He previously served as Entrepreneur.com's managing editor and as the technology editor prior to that.

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