The 95/5 Rule: How One Simple Question Can Reclaim Your Life

Today I want to talk about a simple question that will exponentially change how much you delegate and how much you can free your time. If you are someone who constantly feels busy or struggles to get things done because your plate is overflowing, this perspective is for you.

Welcome back to consecutive days 1,944 of a Diary of a Runpreneur. As many of you know, this vlog is more than just a running journal; it is a fundraiser dedicated to saving the lives of children. I am attempting the ultimate ultramarathon: running the distance of a lap of the world (40,075km) barefoot-style, on consecutive days. My mission is to raise £1M for children’s causes because the more people we reach, the more lives we can save.

But to stay consistent with a 16.5-year running streak while managing a software consultancy and a real estate portfolio, I have to be ruthless with my time.

The Question That Changes Everything

What is the simplest way to increase your delegation and outsourcing overnight? It comes down to one question: “If I did not do this task, would the outcome meaningfully change?”.

The keyword here is meaningfully. As entrepreneurs and leaders, we often fall into the trap of thinking we must do everything ourselves to maintain quality. But I operate on a different rule: if someone can do something 80% as well as you, just outsource it. Get rid of it. It’s gone.

Moving Toward the 95/5 Principle

My ultimate goal is to reach what I call the 95/5 Principle. This means 95% of the work is outsourced to other people, while I focus on the critical 5%.

In that 5%, you focus on:

• Strategic goals and objectives.

• Long-term planning and direction.

• The core mission and vision.

The rest of the operational output should be handled by your team or the systems you have built. If you don’t allow people the space to do their jobs, you will never have the headspace required to grow.

When is a Task Actually Meaningful?

There are very few scenarios where your personal involvement meaningfully changes the outcome. It might be a task with a critically tight deadline where you don't have the luxury of someone else taking longer. Or, it might be a task where accuracy must be 100% and you are currently the only person with the skill set.

However, if you plan correctly in 90-day sprints and have the right reporting metrics in place, these tasks should be few and far between.

Final Thoughts on Resilience Building a business and running around the world both require the same thing: the removal of noise. If you struggle with time management, you aren't failing at "doing"; you are failing at "letting go".

Ask yourself the question today. Trust your team to hit the 80% mark. Focus your energy where it actually moves the needle for your mission.

Stay positive, stay happy, and I’ll see you again tomorrow.