Pinpoint your 20% tasks to achieve 80% of your results

At Startup Co., CEO Maya felt her calendar owned her. Every morning she joined back-to-back calls, untangled budget spreadsheets, and answered an endless stream of emails. Yet revenue growth stalled. She knew something had to change.

Maya gathered her leadership team and handed each a flip chart. She challenged them to list every responsibility they juggled weekly. The wall overflowed with ten, twenty, even thirty items per person. They then rated each item by its direct impact on their most pressing goal: doubling sales. As scores appeared, patterns emerged. The top three tasks—cold outreach, strategic partnerships, and high-level product demos—shone brightly amid the noise.

Maya blocked two hours every afternoon for those “golden tasks,” freeing her mornings for team strategy and a daily meditation. Within six weeks, new partnership deals closed faster, sales pipeline value jumped 40%, and Maya regained control over her schedule. Pinpointing the critical few transformed Startup Co.’s growth engine.

To replicate Maya’s breakthrough, grab a sheet and list every duty you juggle this week. Score each by its impact on your most urgent goal, then circle the top three. Block dedicated time—ideally two-hour “power blocks”—in your calendar just for those high-impact tasks, and cancel or delegate the rest. Watch how toward the week’s end you not only free up white space, but also ignite momentum in the areas that drive the biggest results. Try it this Monday.