THE PM CHRONICLE: The 80/20 Rule and Listening to Your Inner Procrastinator

Sunday, March 02, 2014

The 80/20 Rule and Listening to Your Inner Procrastinator

BY PERRY MARSHALL | January 22, 2014|
84 Comments |

Image credit: Unsplash

A decade ago, my friend Bill said, "Perry I've got a million-dollar idea for you. There's just one catch: If you sell a million dollars, you have to give $10,000 to my favorite charity."

"OK Bill, you're on," I said. He insisted I was leaving tons of money on the table by only writing and publishing books. He advised me to expand into business coaching.

I decided he was right. And guess what? I had the hardest time getting myself to actually do it. When I sat down to execute the details, my inner procrastinator said, "Wait a minute, why don't you go get a haircut."

I recognized the inner procrastinator as a signal that I was precisely on the right track. I resolved to finish the project.

That move doubled my income. Bill's favorite charity, an inner city school in Philadelphia, got a check for $10,000.

I'm a passionate advocate of the 80/20 rule, which says 80 percent of your sales come from 20 percent of your customers. It applies to most other aspects of business and life as well, like how you spend your time.

I've discovered that your inner procrastinator -- if you pay close attention to him -- tells you exactly what you should be doing.

The top 20 percent activities that produce 80 percent of your results are the very same things that trigger you to procrastinate -- to delete old emails or water plants instead.

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80/20 Sales and Marketing
By Perry Marshall

Eventually I had to cloister myself in a library with no Internet to craft the marketing for a business move that scared me deep down. Those demons inside my head knew it was a good idea, so I decided to harken unto them.

Whenever my inner procrastinator tells me to check Twitter or iron my shirts, instead of what I've planned, I know I'm on to something good. I switch it around.

It's not that we don't want to work. It's that we're afraid of doing work that will move the needle. Most of us are afraid of success.

Here are tips on how to direct your inner procrastinator to your advantage:

Flip your daily to-do list. You wake up and list the 10 things you need to do today. Odds are, one item is worth 10 times more than the rest. Our natural human tendency is to put it off until later, diverting into mundane tasks like Facebook. We invent devilishly clever reasons not to get that one thing done.

Check your gut and do it. Now. (Or at least after you finish reading this article.)

The 'procrastination demon opportunity detector' works for big-picture projects, too. If you're all-consumed with $10 per hour busy work, you have no time to stop and ask yourself, "What salvo should I launch next week that will double sales next year?"

That question makes you squirm. The more disconcerting, the better. It challenges the status quo. Whatever gives you that queasy, familiar feeling of asking for a big check -- or for dad's car keys at 11 at night -- that plan probably belongs on the top of the stack.

Make constructive use of the time you liberate. I urge entrepreneurs to hire house cleaners and personal assistants to free themselves up from mundane activities. What do you do with the extra two hours a day you free up? You could fritter it away - or go nuclear on your business strategy.

Perfectionism is the root of all evil. Most of us soothe our anxieties and stay mediocre by perfecting things that don't need to be perfect at all. You spend 15 minutes editing that email before you press send. You clean out your car twice a week.

Most procrastination isn't doing nothing, it's doing what's comfortable and mediocre.

Put 'Do Nothing' on your to-do list. I'm a huge advocate of Sabbath -- taking Saturdays or Sundays off. Instead of wasting time on busy work such as checking email, everyone should create space where they pray or meditate -- or simply do nothing. Your best business ideas will come when you're not working. When you're having fun doing what you enjoy doing, whether it's reading novels or tossing a baseball with your kids, that feeds your creativity.

I learned this the hard way. I spent years with the pedal to the metal, working seven days a week. It got me nowhere because I was not doing what I needed to do most.

Harken unto your "procrastination demon opportunity detector." Choose the thing that makes you most anxious. Then head straight into the wind, because those anxieties are merely birth pangs of a larger success.

Perry Marshall

Perry Marshall is the president of Perry S. Marshall & Associates, a Chicago-based company that consults both online and brick-and-mortar companies on generating sales leads, web traffic and maximizing advertising results. He has written five books including his most recent, 80/20 Sales and Marketing (Entrepreneur Press, 2013). He blogs atperrymarshall.com.
TIME MANAGEMENT PROCRASTINATION TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS

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88 Comments

Bingo!!! LOL!
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Ingenious Aces from Facebook2 hours ago

Lol. When you start a business to nurture your passion, this won't be a problem.
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Carmen Lee Perrin from Facebook2 hours ago

Great article :)
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Lisa Cleofas from Facebook3 hours ago

Jerry Green
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Maggie Danesfahani from Facebook4 hours ago

Excellent so true
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Ameen Fararah from Facebook6 hours ago

Mohammed Alkaff lol
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Diego Paul Ramirez Lujan from Facebook6 hours ago

Pareto.
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eQuibbly from Facebook6 hours ago

wants to read a book... Inner procrastinator: Post a comment on FB
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Munawar Mark from Facebook6 hours ago

I need Lap Top And Tablet.
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Munawar Mark from Facebook6 hours ago

I have no Tab " Lap Top " no have good Mobile. If do u dont mind please send give me a Gift .
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Arta Hashimi from Facebook6 hours ago

Aneta Zoldova i thought this might help :P
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Joshua Coffin from Facebook7 hours ago

Dylan Barker and Justin Coffin this is good stuff for when we are business partners
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Oli Durán from Facebook7 hours ago

Mai Lugo jajajaj... Its you
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Ruth Chisholm from Facebook7 hours ago

Good grief. I'm living one of those moments.
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Nikhil Kalra from Facebook7 hours ago

Nitin Soni :)
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Teeda Pascual from Facebook8 hours ago

lol ...
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Gabe Arnold from Facebook8 hours ago

Oh look! A bunny!
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Albert O'Mazza from Facebook8 hours ago

Read the title. I'll read the rest of it later. :-)
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Penn to Paper from Facebook8 hours ago

Our oven gets cleaned when I'm procrastinating so I shall invent positive procrastination...
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The Worldwide Headquarters of The Alternative Board from Facebook8 hours ago

Laura Guerrero from Facebook8 hours ago

Jakie Urias
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Sampada Chaudhari from Facebook8 hours ago

Deepam R ... do read this article ... you will find it interesting :)
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Javier Salinas9 hours ago

I love the word "Inner procrastination". Interesting to read article.
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Steve Lehnert from Facebook9 hours ago

WANTS TO GO EAT BREAKFAST Inner Procrastinator: You should read this article on BI.
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Nga Le from Facebook9 hours ago

u too Phạm Nhã :))
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Sean Rose from Facebook9 hours ago

This is u Jason lol
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Albert Abrego from Facebook9 hours ago

Look, a squirrel.
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Craig Seadon from Facebook9 hours ago

Suzanne Seadon
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Adriano Del Moro from Facebook9 hours ago

Simone Macario
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Liz Zombiekiller Millan from Facebook9 hours ago

lol
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Alx Camron from Facebook9 hours ago

God I hate your stupid Mac books it will not be the future of business
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Sushil Munje from Facebook9 hours ago

RashadGloverJan 27, 2014

deal!
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PhilEkwerekwuJan 26, 2014

You're spot-on with me.I know now I've got to write that book. Thanks. Phil
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NgoKingsJan 25, 2014

Is like you are talking to me,I will do this,I will do this.work all the time and yet, wake up call .
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Lina HamdyJan 25, 2014

Very interesting article. Thank you

I hope I can apply it

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ZiaJingJan 25, 2014

Haha! It even came to the point when I decided to uninstall Facebook and Twitter in my phone so I could focus more in my business strategy. THANK YOU FOR THIS ARTICLE. Now I only check Facebook for updates and messages.
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EricaJan 24, 2014

Great Article!
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It_Makes_ScentsJan 24, 2014

Great tips. It's not about time management (we all get 24 hours in a day); it's about self management. Also, there are techniques one can use to gradually change behaviors so they become habits.
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AnandSrinivasanJan 24, 2014

Great post. I tend to keep the 'liberated' time free or for 'me-time'. I have come to realize that if I tend to push all the time available into work, it leaves me no time to look back and introspect on how I am prioritizing things, how I am executing etc. Keeping some time free every day gives me the space to come up with better ways to do things and makes me more productive in general.
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Jeff Goy from FacebookJan 23, 2014

ironic that this is on Facebook! Love the posts!
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Natty Nelly Nash from FacebookJan 23, 2014

Amazing post just got me out of big trouble. THnxxxx
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Elan LondonJan 23, 2014

As usual, brilliant advice from Perry. I did wonder where he was going with the procrastinating thing, but yes, as always, makes perfect sense. Really hope to get onto his small coaching class soon.
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Jorge Andrés Barberà from FacebookJan 23, 2014

It is! Only if I didn't do it when I'm supposed to be doing something else...like now. Keep up the good work, guys!
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