I’m a member of BNI (Business Networking International), and at this week’s meeting, the educational moment was about the 80/20 rule: how, for most entrepreneurs, 20% of our tasks take up 80% of our time. In actuality, it should be the reverse.

If you’re a procrastinator, you may choose to do those more menial tasks first, the ones that don’t earn you any money. You know what I mean: heading on to Twitter or Facebook, checking email and phone messages, or doing office tasks. However, you know you have a project that needs to be completed – and you’re putting it off in lieu of those other non-revenue-producing items.

In a past blog, I discussed keeping track of your time, budgeting 45 minutes of each hour for important things to do and the remaining 15 minutes for the daily time wasters. I suggest an addendum to that calendaring system: schedule the more challenging items for the earlier part of your day.

Some motivational speakers refer to the concept of doing the more difficult and less exciting tasks first as “eating the frog.” If you eat the frog first, everything else is better – and easier.

Usually, you’re more motivated to complete tasks right out of the gate, and then, if the phone rings, a client stops by, or a last-minute requirement pops up, you’ll feel less stressed in attending to them right then. Also, if you know you have to “eat the frog” before moving on to other tasks, you’ll be more eager to actually finish it – meaning you’ll succeed in spending 20% of your time completing 80% of your work, instead of the reverse.

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I don’t know about you, but I’m a horrible procrastinator. I have a daily to-do list, but I usually find myself surfing Facebook or Twitter, checking e-mail, or basically wasting time until I realize I’m falling behind on my to-do list and have to scramble to catch up. However, I recently discovered that a little planning and a simple cooking timer can do wonders for even the most obstinate procrastinator.

Balancing working ON the business and working IN the business seems to be one of the biggest challenges of entrepreneurs. I have current clients who need attention, and I also have to keep the pipeline full for the future. This is where having a thorough calendaring system is imperative. I don’t take on more than two events per day – and I prefer only one. That way I’m out of the office no longer than a couple of hours, and I can complete my projects on time. I block out the week in advance so I know exactly what’s due and what I’ll be working on throughout the day. Of course, life happens, but having a plan to tackle that to-do list is really important for me to stay on task.

Once I have my daily tasks lined up, I assign a time limit to each project. For me, I’ve found that I can’t concentrate for longer than 30-45 minutes at a time, so I don’t block more than 45 minutes for each project. (It may take two or three 45-minute blocks to complete the project, but I stay focused on it for that long at a time.) In the remaining 15 minutes of each hour, I give myself time to play, doing all of those time-waster activities I enjoy. It’s kind of like dieting: without an occasional slice of chocolate cake, carrots get a little monotonous.

With a timer and my iPhone, I am much more focused and deliberate with my time. If I think of something not work-related during my 45 minutes “on,” I jot it down on the notepad that’s always next to my laptop. That way, I remember it and can stay on target with the task at hand.

Even though some of my résumé clients will say one of their strengths is multitasking, I’ve learned that the real talent is not being able to do multiple things simultaneously. It’s the ability to stay focused and complete one task, while having the flexibility to jump around as needed when the phone rings, a client walks in, or my son needs my attention. Only then will I master my mind and meet the goals I’ve set.

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This past weekend I attended a seminar about keeping a business venture on track during this new economy (http://thenextgeneration.us/). As a business owner, I attend many such seminars and presentations, but for whatever reason, this one really resonated with me. The first speaker suggested doing a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis on the business and then crafting 30-, 60-, and 90-day action plans. Well, I did it right there. And one of the biggest things on my agenda was time management.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a horrible procrastinator. I have a to-do list daily, but I end up on Facebook. Twitter, checking e-mail, or basically doing just about anything else to avoid said list. This puts me behind, which makes my deliverables fall short of the promised date. Of course, that means I am leaving a bad taste in the mouths of my clients. Who’s going to refer someone when I can’t follow through on deadlines? I know I wouldn’t.

So, since I knew this was my downfall, I tackled it first. I decided to block out time on my PDA: one hour for work following by 30 minutes of play. Each section had tasks assigned. Since I’m a writer, the work block could be a résumé, revisions, editing, or copywriting. The play time consisted of e-mail, phone calls, Facebook, Twitter, etc. I even blocked out gym time and when I would pick up my son from daycare. Then I got out my timer.

I don’t multitask nearly as much anymore, but that’s okay. In fact, I close the e-mail browser, Facebook, and Tweetdeck during my working hour. I find I’m more on task and, most importantly, I’m finishing everything! I’m able to juggle working ON the business with working IN the business, which is a weight off my mind. So far, on day four, I’m right on task and have gotten a ton done.

So buy yourself a timer (or look one up online) and get working. It’ll do wonders.

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