I’ve tried 157 productivity hacks — this is the most effective

2-step productivity system from the founder of Priceline

If you’ve ever used Priceline or those self check-in terminals at the airport, you’ve benefited from the productivity of Jeff Hoffman (the creator of both).

This is a productivity system he outlines in his book Scale.

I’ve been using it for a year, and it’s the most effective (and stressful) time saving system I’ve ever come by.

I call it…

the Effective System You Never Asked For

This system is broken into2 steps.

1. You should probably stop doing most of what you’re doing

We can all agree that some actions are more important then others.

E.g. Finishing that landing page is probably more important then coming up with “the perfect” color scheme.

How many times have you heard (or thought), I’ll start this business as soon as I have this logo designed?

P.S. You’re not alone. I’ve said that same thing, word for word.

If you’re familiar with the Pareto Principle, you know that 80% of the results in any work are driven by 20% of the actions.

This is based on the reality that businesses (and business owners) aren’t paid for their time or effort, but for the value created.

You can spend 40 hours on a task, but if that task doesn’t lead to an increase in value, then you won’t get paid.

6 hours of work on Monday may not be worth the same as 6 hours of work on Tuesday, depending on what you actually did in those hours.

Step 1 in this system takes that principle and runs with it by identifying which tasks truly drive value.

Here’s how.

Everything you do can fall into one of four boxes:

• A time
• B time
• C time
• D time

The key is to understand how much time you spend on tasks in each box.

Let’s start with D time:

(p.s. I use general examples here, but actually A, B, C, and D time examples depend on your business and your role. What is A time for a direct report of yours might be C time for you).

- D time = 80% of action that drives 20% of results.

This is the classic Pareto Principle.

EXAMPLES:

• Administrative tasks, updating almost anything (logos, SOPs, etc), scheduling meetings, etc.

If it doesn’t directly contribute to the desired end results, it’s D time.

- C time = 20% of action that drives 80% of results.

The 20% from the classic Pareto Principle.

EXAMPLES:

• Delegating a task, holding group meeting (as opposed to talking to people 1:1), updating master to-do list, etc.

These are things that are closer to driving results then D time tasks.

- B time = 4% of action that drives 64% of results.

This is where it gets interesting.

In the classic Pareto Principle, 20% of actions drive 80% of results.

This just extends that one step further.

We take 20% of those 20% of actions, which = 4% of actions .

And we take 80% of those 80% of results, which = 64% of results.

So 4% of actions (20% of 20%) = 64% of results (80% of 80%).

EXAMPLES:

• Meeting with crucial clients, coaching your internal leadership team, instituting a systematic solution to a reoccurring problem, etc.

These are highly valuable tasks that also drive revenue.

Now, let’s take it one step further.

- A time = 1% of action that drives 50% of results.

This is the same calculation as above, but one more time.

We take 20% of those 4% of actions, which = 1% of actions.

And we take 80% of those 64% of results, which = 50% of results.

So 1% of actions (20% of 4%) = 50% of results (80% of 64%).

EXAMPLES:

• Developing relationships with crucial business partnerships, making strategic decisions about the direction of the company, holding your team accountable to the agreed upon actions and results, etc.

These are the highest leverage things that drive the most revenue for your business.

Do the important, delay the urgent

Once you’ve put your daily tasks into one of those 4 boxes, it’s time to do the hard things…

• Stop doing or Outsource box D tasks.
• Outsource or delegate box C tasks.
• Minimize your time on box B tasks.
• Focus your time on box A tasks.

This allows you to focus on the things that ACTUALLY drive results.

No more spending 2 hours perfecting your color swat. Or the logo. Or the brand name.

It’s time to drive the result — in this business case, make a sale.

Step 2 in this system takes this from idea to execution.

It breaks down exactly HOW to set up your calendar using this system.

To read step 2, CLICK HERE (takes you to the next Medium article).