Juggling a full-time job and a side hustle can feel like you’re running in circles. You spend hours doing tons of little tasks, but it doesn’t feel like you’re getting anywhere. The truth is, not everything you do is equally important. Some tasks really help you move forward, while others are just busywork. That’s where the 80/20 rule comes in.
What’s the 80/20 Rule and Why Should You Care?
The 80/20 rule, also called Pareto’s Law, says that 80% of your results come from just 20% of your efforts. This idea works for almost everything—fitness, relationships, work, and especially side hustles.
For example, if you run a blog, you might spend hours writing posts and sharing them on social media. But when you check your stats, you might notice that most of your traffic comes from just one or two posts or a single platform. That means a small part of what you do is giving you most of your success.
The trick is to figure out what that 20% is for your side hustle and focus on it. At the same time, cut out or automate the stuff that doesn’t really help.
How to Find Your 20%
To figure out what’s really working, you need to track how you spend your time. It might sound boring, but it’s super helpful.
For one week, write down everything you do for your side hustle and how much time you spend on each task. Then look at the data.
- Are you spending hours on social media but not getting many leads?
- Are you answering tons of emails that don’t lead to sales?
Once you see the patterns, you’ll know which tasks bring in money, traffic, or engagement—and which ones are just keeping you busy without adding real value.
Focus on the Important Stuff
Not all tasks are created equal. Some help your side hustle grow, while others just keep you busy. The key is to focus on the high-impact tasks during your most productive times.
Everyone has a “peak time” when they feel most energized. For some, it’s the morning; for others, it’s late at night. Try to do your most important side hustle work during these times. Even 30 minutes of focused work can be better than three hours of distracted effort.
But it’s not just about when you work—it’s also about what you work on. Just because something feels important doesn’t mean it is.
For example, if you’re a freelance writer, spending hours on a blog post is great, but if it’s not bringing in clients or growing your brand, it might not be worth it. Instead, pitching bigger sites or networking with potential clients could be a better use of your time.
What to Do with the Other 80%
So, what about all those tasks that aren’t part of your 20%? You don’t have to ignore them completely. Here are three ways to handle them:
Automate
Use tools to handle repetitive tasks. Social media schedulers, email marketing tools, and auto-responses can save you tons of time.
Delegate
If you can, hire someone to help with certain tasks. Even outsourcing a few small things can free up your time for more important work.
Batch Work
Group similar tasks together. For example, if you write blog posts, write several in one sitting, then edit them all at once. This keeps you focused and speeds things up.
The less time you spend on low-value tasks, the more time you have for the stuff that really matters.
Cut Out Distractions
A big part of working smarter is avoiding distractions. It’s easy to feel busy when you’re checking emails, tweaking your website, or scrolling through social media “for research.” But a lot of that is just procrastination in disguise.
One way to stay focused is time blocking—setting specific times for your side hustle tasks. If you have one hour a day for your hustle, decide in advance what you’ll do during that hour. Treat it like an important meeting—you wouldn’t skip it just because you got distracted, right?
Another important skill is learning to say no. When you’re starting out, it’s tempting to take on every opportunity, but that can lead to burnout. Every “yes” to something unimportant is a “no” to something that actually helps your hustle grow.
Track Your Progress
It’s not enough to just work smarter—you need to make sure it’s actually working. The best way to do that? Track your results.
Depending on your side hustle, your key numbers might be:
- Website traffic
- Social media engagement
- Email subscribers
- Sales
The goal isn’t to obsess over every little number but to notice trends. If something isn’t working, change it. If something is working, do more of it.
Success isn’t about having a perfect plan—it’s about testing, learning, and adjusting as you go.
Start Small
If this all sounds like a lot, don’t worry. You don’t have to change everything at once. Start small.
Pick one or two things to focus on this week—maybe tracking your time or automating a task you do a lot. Then build from there.
The 80/20 rule isn’t about working harder—it’s about being smarter with the time and energy you already have. If you focus on the right things, you’ll start seeing real progress, even if you only have an hour a day for your side hustle.
So, take that first step. Cut out the fluff, focus on what works, and start making your side hustle work for you—not the other way around.
