Time is your most valuable asset. It doesn’t matter if you’re a CEO or a supervisor—you get the same 24 hours. The difference? How you use it.
If you want to lead effectively and play your A-Game, it’s not about doing more tasks. It’s about focusing on the right ones. And that’s where the 20/80 principle comes in.
Eyes on the 20%
Here’s the key: 20% of your activities will generate 80% of your results. The best leaders don’t get caught up in the noise of the other 80%. They know that not all tasks are created equal. Instead of trying to do everything, they focus on the 20%—the critical activities that truly move the needle.
This isn’t about time management in the traditional sense. It’s not about squeezing more into your day. It’s about identifying what really matters, locking in on those high-impact activities, and making them your priority.
In my workshops, I walk leaders through the process of focusing on their 20%. It’s a shift that changes everything. Once you have your eyes on the right tasks, you’re no longer scrambling to keep up. You’re playing your A-Game, and it shows in your results.
Doing Better, Not More
Here’s where most leaders get it wrong: they think time management is about doing more in less time. It’s not. The real power comes from doing better with the time you have.
For managers and supervisors, this means understanding which responsibilities deliver the highest impact on your team’s performance and production. Once you’ve identified these, double down on them. Forget the rest. Delegate or eliminate anything that doesn’t directly contribute to the big picture.
Ask yourself:
- What are the activities that only I can do?
- Which tasks drive the biggest results for my team?
- Where can I make the greatest impact?
When you know the answers, you’ll know where your focus needs to be. And when you focus on the 20%, you’re not just more efficient—you’re more effective.
The Process to Focus on the 20%
There’s a process to this, and I share it in my workshops. It’s about clarity—getting crystal clear on what your A-Game tasks are. It’s about developing the discipline to ignore the 80% of tasks that don’t move the needle. And it’s about building the habits that allow you to consistently deliver the highest impact.
Once you’ve mastered the 20/80 principle, time management becomes less about juggling tasks and more about maximizing impact. You’ll feel the difference. You’ll see the difference. And so will your team.
Leading with the 20%
When you focus on your 20%, you’re not just managing your time—you’re leading with intention. Your team looks to you for direction. If they see you focusing on the high-impact activities, they’ll do the same. If they see you playing your A-Game, they’ll raise theirs too.
The 20/80 principle isn’t just a strategy for getting things done—it’s a strategy for playing your A-Game. When you focus on the 20% that truly matters, you lead with purpose, you make better decisions, and you drive your team toward bigger results.
In my workshops, I break down this process so that you can see how simple it is to implement—and how powerful it is in practice. The best leaders aren’t doing everything. They’re doing the right things.
That’s how you play your A-Game.
A Personal Time Management Workshop for Managers
So, you want to take control of your time, focus on what matters, and play your A-Game. Great. Here’s how you can run a personal workshop to identify the 20% of your activities that drive 80% of your results.
We’re going to walk through this step-by-step. By the end of the week, you’ll have a clear understanding of which tasks you should double down on—and which you can start letting go of.
Step 1: Take Inventory of Your Activities
First, you need to know what you’re working with. Spend one week taking inventory of everything you do. I mean everything—meetings, emails, tasks, problem-solving, phone calls, team check-ins, reports—everything.
Here’s what to do:
- At the end of each day, jot down a list of all the activities you did. Be specific. Include the things that took up your time, even if they felt small or insignificant.
- Next to each activity, note how much time you spent on it. Don’t worry about being perfect—just get a rough estimate.
By the end of the week, you’ll have a detailed list of where your time is going.
Step 2: Analyze Your Activities
Now that you have your list, it’s time to analyze it. Look at each activity and ask yourself these three questions:
- What’s the impact of this activity? Does it directly contribute to the success of your team, project, or organization? Does it move the needle on your goals?
- Could someone else do this? Is this a task that requires your specific expertise, or is it something that could be delegated to someone else?
- What are the results of this activity? What’s the outcome of the work you’re doing here? Are you getting a significant return on the time invested?
Step 3: Identify the 20% Tasks
Here’s where you’ll start seeing the magic of the 20/80 principle. Once you’ve asked yourself those questions, start categorizing your activities:
- High-impact activities: These are the tasks that directly move the needle. They have a clear, tangible result. They’re the ones where your expertise is critical, and they drive the biggest outcomes.
- Low-impact activities: These are the things that eat up your time but don’t contribute much to your bigger goals. Maybe they’re tasks that could be delegated or streamlined. They don’t require your specific expertise, and the outcome doesn’t justify the time spent.
At this stage, your 20% will start to stand out. These are the activities where your time and effort result in the biggest wins. They’re the things only you can do—and that make a significant difference.
Step 4: Prioritize and Plan
Now that you’ve identified your 20% tasks, it’s time to refocus your week. Moving forward, you’re going to prioritize these tasks above everything else. Here’s how:
- Block time: Schedule specific blocks of time in your week to focus exclusively on your 20% tasks. This might mean dedicating your mornings to high-impact work before you get pulled into meetings or emails.
- Delegate the rest: Look at the remaining 80% of your activities. Is there anything you can delegate to your team? Can you streamline or eliminate anything that’s not delivering real results? Free up as much time as possible to focus on the tasks that truly matter.
- Review and adjust: At the end of each week, take a few minutes to review how you did. Were you able to stick to your 20%? Did any low-impact tasks creep back in? Make adjustments as needed to keep yourself focused.
Step 5: Make It a Habit
Here’s the most important part: this isn’t a one-time exercise. It’s a shift in how you work. Moving forward, you need to keep asking yourself, “Is this a 20% activity? Is this driving the results I want?” If the answer is no, it’s time to reconsider where you’re spending your time.
Each week, review your tasks. Check in with yourself. Are you staying focused on the high-impact work, or are distractions pulling you away?
By running this personal workshop, you’ll not only identify your 20%—you’ll start living it. The more you focus on the high-impact tasks, the more you’ll find that you’re not just managing your time—you’re multiplying it.
This is how you play your A-Game. By focusing on what matters, cutting out the noise, and delivering results that truly count.
How to Use Block Time
Let me break it down for you: when it comes to playing your A-Game, how you structure your time can make or break your week. I divide my week into Free Days, Focus Days, and Buffer Days—and this is where Block Time comes in.
Here’s how it works:
1. Focus Days: Maximize Your High-Impact Work
Focus Days are where the magic happens. These are the days dedicated to your 20% tasks—the high-impact activities that drive 80% of your results.
On Focus Days, I use Block Time to zero in on those critical tasks. That means no distractions, no multitasking. I block out specific chunks of time—typically 90 minutes to 2 hours—where I work exclusively on my most important projects. During these blocks, I’m fully in the zone. No emails, no meetings, no interruptions.
Here’s what it looks like:
- Morning block (90 min): This is prime time for deep work. I dive into the most challenging, high-impact task of the day. This is usually when I work on strategy, problem-solving, or creative projects that require focus.
- Midday block (90 min): After a short break, I move to the next big task. This could be client work, project management, or something that moves the needle significantly for the week.
- Afternoon block (60 min): I use the last block of the day to wrap up or refine key tasks. This is the time for reviewing progress, making adjustments, or polishing something that needs to be top quality.
The key on Focus Days is that I’m not available for minor tasks. I’m fully locked in on the work that matters most.
2. Buffer Days: Handle the Admin & Prep
Buffer Days are the glue that holds everything together. They’re not about deep work—they’re about catching up, prepping, and clearing the way for Focus Days.
On Buffer Days, I still use Block Time, but it looks different. These blocks are shorter and more varied. They’re about handling all the little tasks that would disrupt my Focus Days if left unchecked.
Here’s what Buffer Day Block Time looks like:
- Morning block (60 min): Respond to emails, clear the inbox, and handle any quick admin tasks that need attention.
- Midday block (45 min): Review upcoming projects or meetings, prepare materials, and organize the week ahead.
- Afternoon block (45 min): Follow up with team members, schedule meetings, and tackle any lingering small tasks. It’s about clearing the clutter so I can hit the ground running on Focus Days.
Buffer Days are designed to reset. They keep me organized and make sure that when it’s time to focus, I’m not distracted by things that could’ve been handled earlier.
3. Free Days: Recharge & Refuel
Free Days are sacred. These are the days I don’t touch work at all. No emails, no meetings, no tasks. It’s all about recharging so that when I get back to my Focus Days, I’m at 100%.
Here’s the thing: Free Days are just as important as Focus and Buffer Days. You can’t play your A-Game if you’re running on empty. By taking full days to step away from work, I come back sharper, more creative, and ready to dive back into the deep work.
By dividing my week into Focus, Buffer, and Free Days, I’m able to maximize my productivity while staying fully charged. Block Time is how I make sure I’m giving the right tasks the right amount of attention. It’s how I stay disciplined, focused, and in control of my time.
You can try this too. Look at your week, start blocking time, and separate your days by their purpose. You’ll find that your A-Game gets sharper, your tasks get clearer, and your results start multiplying.
Read Block Time for Managers and Makers. This will help you protect your most important asset.
Delegation: The Key to Playing Your A-Game
I don’t delegate what’s unimportant. Delegation isn’t about handing off the things you don’t want to do. It’s about strategically freeing yourself up to focus on the activities that really matter—your A-Game.
When I say I focus on the 20%, I mean it.
I don’t handle all of that 20% myself. In fact, I delegate a big part of it. That’s the only way I can truly play my A-Game.
Delegation is how I make space to focus on the high-impact activities that drive results, not just in work but in life.
Let Go of Your C-Game and B-Game
The first step? Letting go of the C-Game tasks—the busywork that eats up your time but doesn’t move the needle. That’s the stuff you need to delegate without a second thought. Emails, scheduling, routine tasks—anything that doesn’t require your unique skill set.
Next, you need to get comfortable delegating a large portion of your B-Game activities. These are tasks that are important but not critical to your A-Game.
They’re necessary, but they don’t require your direct involvement.
And perhaps, these are the jobs for multipliers and those whose expertise are better than me. If it takes me five hours to do the job, I will give it to someone who can do it only for five minutes. Time is gold. You can and should delegate these so you can focus on what truly drives results.
What’s Left? Your A-Game
The A-Game isn’t just about being productive at work. It’s about doing the high-impact activities that lead to a balanced life. This includes tasks that make you not just productive, but happy, wealthy, and wise. These are the activities that have the biggest return on investment for my time and energy.
Even some of your A-Game can be delegated.
When I delegate, I’m not just handing off the low-level tasks. I’m trusting others to take on parts of my A-Game that they’re equipped to handle. This frees me up to focus on what only I can do—the high-level strategy, the creative problem-solving, the big-picture thinking.
Why Delegation Matters
Delegation isn’t about doing less. It’s about doing better. When you delegate, you’re not just offloading tasks—you’re empowering others to take ownership of work that still contributes to your goals. You’re freeing yourself up to spend more time on the things that truly matter.
If you’re constantly bogged down with C-Game or even B-Game activities, there’s no room left for the things that make the biggest difference in your life.
You can’t think creatively, you can’t lead effectively, and you certainly can’t play your A-Game when you’re buried in tasks that don’t truly need your attention.
Delegation Is About Trust
To delegate effectively, you have to trust the people around you. You have to let go of the mindset that everything needs your personal touch. When you delegate, you’re not just giving someone a task—you’re giving them responsibility. You’re trusting them to execute in a way that aligns with your vision. And when they succeed, you succeed.
Playing your A-Game means prioritizing what matters most. But to do that, you have to let go. Delegate the C-Game, delegate a chunk of the B-Game, and even pass on parts of the A-Game that others can handle. That’s how you make space for the high-impact work that doesn’t just keep you productive but keeps you happy, wealthy, and wise.
Delegation isn’t about losing control—it’s about gaining the freedom to focus on what you’re uniquely positioned to achieve.
