Don Roulo is the CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer) of Life Quest. He is a life, career and business coach as well as a Certified 48 Days Workshop Facilitator. He travels nationally and internationally to conduct business and career training as well as marriage and family workshops.

By DON ROULO

Most of us have some version of a ‘to do’ list. We write down what we need to accomplish at work and at home. We have every intention of getting them all done. Should we really be trying to get the entire list done? Are there things on the list which don’t belong or should be done by someone else?

Peter F. Drucker said, “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”

Just because you can do something, and do it well, doesn’t mean you should be doing it. There is nothing that stops you from achieving your ultimate goals and dreams quicker than spending your time and energy on things that really don’t matter or don’t produce results. You want to achieve results by doing things which bring you closer to your ultimate goal, not distract you from it – or simply waste your time.

The Pareto Principle explains this. (This principle applies to your work and personal life.) Pareto was an Italian economist from the 1800’s and he said 20 percent of what you do gives you 80 percent of your results. This doesn’t mean the 80 percent is not important. It means we should not be spending the majority of our time doing things which do not produce our desired goals utilizing our skills and abilities. This is not a license to say, “It’s not my job.”

Here is what it does mean. If you are a salesman – sell! The 20 percent which helps you achieve your sales goal is contacting new prospects and taking care of existing clients. You will be making phone calls, writing emails and meeting people face to face. You should not focus on taking out the trash, fixing the copier or making sure there are plenty of paper towels in the restroom. Those things are important, but they do not help you reach your goal.

On your ‘to do’ list of 10 things you should be working on the two or three things that will bring you or your company it’s greatest results. Go through your list at work, and home for that matter, and ask the following questions and then categorize your list again.

What can I delegate? There are many people around us who can do a better and more efficient job at doing some of the things on our list.

What really does not need to be done at all? Not everything we write down really needs to be done. Be honest with yourself and ask is this truly a priority which needs to be done or at least be done now.
What can I and I alone do? This really is where you strike gold with your 20 percent. This is where your talents and abilities shine.

Here is one last quick illustration I think you will find helpful. As I sat down to write this article tonight, I realized the garbage needs to go out to the curb for the trash man tomorrow. I could take the garbage out very efficiently and do it with excellence. However, there is no one else in the house who can write this article except me. My 20 percent is writing the article. My 80 percent is taking out the trash. What do I do?  I removed the trash from my list and delegated it to others who are gifted at taking out the trash – my two kiddos.

About the Author
Don Roulo is a life, career and business coach as well as a Certified 48 Days Workshop Facilitator. He travels nationally and internationally to conduct business and career training as well as marriage and family workshops.

As a business consultant, he has written business plans and worked to market products or services as well as organizing financial statements for investors. Because of his success in the sales and business arena, Don has been blessed with the opportunity to train, motivate and inspire others. His passion is to motivate and equip people to find their passion and achieve their goals and God given destiny.