If you are like me you have heard about the 80/20 rule for years. You know it, it’s called the Pareto Principle — 20% of your activities account 80% of your results.
Well as Bob Dylan said about 40 years ago, “the times they are a changing”. In my opinion the more accurate reality of this notion is the 90/10 principle. Why? Simply this… Technology has seduced us all into many new activities that didn’t exist a few years ago (creating websites, watching videos on I pods, viewing webinars on our computers). It’s endless and very very addictive.
While cool and exciting, it has also turned us into culture of multi-taskers. I think we are developing what I call “technological ADD”. You know it — you live it. You listen to teleconferences while you are checking your email and IM’s, scan through hundreds of channels on your TV while eating and talking, talk on the phone while cleaning, text while driving (I hope not) …this list goes on and on. You may even get restless just doing two things at once because we are so addicted to these new forms of stimulation.
How Does This Affect Your Business?
Big time.
Your audience is distracted too and they are hardy even listening when you talk (remember they are multi-tasking). And with Twitter and other social media platforms thousands of people are all talking at the same time!
So if you want to get results you must be more specific and strategic than ever about what you focus your time on.
What does this mean for you? Become much more intentional with how you spend your work time.
Ask yourself: What 10% of my activities account for 90% of my results? Then focus on these everyday and learn to say no to distractions.
If you do you will be surprised at the results.