Use the 10/90 Rule to Help Find Focus, Save Time, and Get More Done

Planning is bringing the future into the present so you can do something about it now. -Alan Lakein

Productivity is simple. It ultimately comes down to just two things: being clear of your intentions and taking deliberate steps in the right direction. What’s interesting is that the 10/90 rule can actually help with both.

Specifically, the 10/90 rule says that the first 10 percent of time you spend planning and organizing your work before you begin will save you as much as 90 percent of the time in getting the job done once you get started.

For example, every minute spent in planning can, therefore, save you up to as much as ten minutes in execution.

Research in the field of psychology also agrees. One study clearly states that having clarity about your goals is essential to having the motivation to achieve those goals. If you’re not clear on what you’re doing, then it’s very hard to be motivated.

Hence, rather than needing more motivation, what you really need is a plan. As Dr. Benjamin P. Hardy has said,

“If you don’t believe you have an effective means of achieving your goal, you won’t be…