The pressures and demands that come with executive leadership are relentless. Managing your time and energy effectively is not just a goal – it’s a necessity. Getting caught in the endless whirlwind of urgent tasks is the inevitable path to reduced effectiveness and increased frustration. Your most impactful work is left on the back burner, you’re wasting time working on things you don’t love, and you’re not making significant progress to move your organization forward.
The good news, if there is any, is you’re not alone. The reality for many high-level leaders is a constant battle to prioritize effectively—balancing the immediate demands of the day with the intentional focus required to drive long-term success.
But what happens when we fail to prioritize? What are the real costs of not focusing on what truly matters? As we explore the 70/30 tool, we’ll uncover why this simple yet powerful framework can be a game-changer for leaders who are ready to elevate their leadership and achieve more without sacrificing their well-being.
This isn’t about avoiding hard work or shying away from challenges. Instead, it’s about recognizing where you add the most value and strategically aligning your efforts to maximize your impact. By operating within your 70%, you not only increase your productivity but also create more space for innovative thinking, strategic decision-making, and the kind of leadership that drives meaningful change.
The Cost of Misplaced Priorities
When you’re constantly putting out fires, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. Leaders who don’t intentionally prioritize their time often find themselves overwhelmed, reactive, and stuck in a cycle of inefficiency. The consequences can be significant: strategic initiatives get delayed, important decisions are rushed, and opportunities for innovation are missed. More importantly, when you’re spread too thin, your leadership becomes less about vision and more about survival.
High-level leaders often fall into the trap of a 30/70 split—spending 70% of their time on tasks that are urgent but not necessarily impactful, and only 30% on the work that truly drives the organization forward. This imbalance not only hampers your effectiveness but also leads to burnout, diminishing your ability to lead with clarity and purpose.
Introducing the 70/30 Tool
The 70/30 tool from GiANT Worldwide is designed to address this very challenge. It’s a framework that helps leaders allocate their time and energy in a way that maximizes both productivity and well-being. The premise is straightforward: aim to spend 70% of your time on activities that align with your natural strengths and passions—your “unconscious competence”—and the remaining 30% on necessary tasks that, while important, require more effort and tend to drain your energy.
Again, this isn’t about avoiding the hard stuff. Instead, it’s about being strategic with your time—ensuring that the majority of your day/week/month is spent in your “flow state,” where you’re most effective and energized, while still making room for the tasks that are essential but less invigorating.
The Impact of a 70/30 Balance
Imagine the shift that happens when you move from a 30/70 or even a 50/50 split to a 70/30 balance. In a 70/30 reality, you’re not just getting more done – you’re getting the right things done. You’re spending the majority of your time on the work that you excel at and that energizes you, which not only boosts your productivity but also enhances your creativity, decision-making, and overall job satisfaction.
On the flip side, when your balance is skewed – whether it’s spending too much time on draining tasks or avoiding them altogether – you’re likely to experience decreased effectiveness, increased stress, and a sense of stagnation. The 70/30 balance is about finding that sweet spot where challenge meets competence, allowing you to lead with both passion and precision.
The 70/30 Exercise: A Practical Audit of Your Time
To put the 70/30 tool into action, let’s start with a simple exercise. Look back at your calendar over the past month and categorize your activities. Use green to highlight the time spent on tasks that align with your natural strengths and passions—those that fall within your 70%. Use red to mark the time spent on necessary but draining tasks—those that fall within your 30%.
As you go through this exercise, you might be surprised at what you discover. Are you spending most of your time in the red zone? Is your green overshadowing your other responsibilities? This visual snapshot of your time can be incredibly revealing, showing you exactly where adjustments are needed to get closer to that ideal 70/30 balance.
To gain clarity on how your time is currently being spent, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Collect Your Data
- Review your calendar from the past month. Gather all the entries, including meetings, tasks, events, and even informal activities.
- Step 2: Categorize Your Activities
- Go through each calendar entry and categorize them based on the nature of the task:
- Green: Activities that align with your natural strengths and passions (your 70%).
- Red: Necessary but draining tasks that require more effort (your 30%).
- Go through each calendar entry and categorize them based on the nature of the task:
- Step 3: Highlight Your Calendar
- Using colored markers or digital highlights, mark each entry as green or red according to the categories identified in the previous step.
- Step 4: Analyze the Balance
- Step back and take a look at the overall color distribution on your calendar. Assess whether the majority of your time is spent in green (your 70%) or red (your 30%).
- Step 5: Identify Delegation Opportunities
- Pinpoint three or four specific red-zone activities that could be delegated to someone else on your team. Consider who would be best suited to take on these tasks.
- Step 6: Create Accountability Statements
- Write down what you plan to delegate, to whom, and by when. This will help ensure you follow through on your commitment to achieving a 70/30 balance.
Delegating to Achieve Balance
Once you have a clear picture of your current reality, it’s time to take action. Identify three or four specific activities from your “red zone” that could be delegated to someone else. Think about who on your team is better suited for these tasks—who might even thrive on them. Delegation isn’t just about offloading work; it’s about empowering others and leveraging the collective strengths of your team.
As you identify these tasks, create accountability statements that outline what you’ll delegate, to whom, and by when. This step is crucial for turning insight into action and ensuring that your commitment to a 70/30 balance leads to tangible changes in how you lead.
The Long-Term Benefits of a 70/30 Leadership Balance
Adopting the 70/30 approach isn’t just about improving your productivity in the short term; it’s about fostering sustainable leadership practices that will benefit you, your team, and your organization over the long haul. When you consistently operate within your 70%, you’re not only more effective; you’re also modeling a balanced approach to work that can inspire and uplift your entire team.
Leaders who achieve a 70/30 balance are better equipped to handle the complexities of their role. They’re more resilient in the face of challenges, more innovative in their problem-solving, and more attuned to the needs of their organization. And perhaps most importantly, they’re able to maintain a high level of personal well-being, which is essential for sustaining leadership over the long term.
Conclusion: Why This Matters
In the fast-paced world of executive leadership, it’s easy to lose sight of the importance of balance. But as you’ve seen, the 70/30 tool offers a practical, actionable way to ensure that you’re not just managing your time effectively, but also leading with greater intention and impact. By striving for a 70/30 balance, you can elevate your leadership, empower your team, and drive your organization forward—without sacrificing your own well-being.
So take the time to review your calendar, make those adjustments, and commit to operating within your strengths. Your leadership—and your organization—will be stronger for it.