80/20 Productivity

Episode Summary We all know the 80/20 rule—a small percentage of your actions create most of your success. But have you ever stopped to ask: What if a small percentage of your actions are actually causing most of your stress, setbacks, and frustration? In this episode, we explore the hidden cost of productivity—the 20% of your activities, habits, and relationships that might be holding you back. You’ll learn how to spot these high-cost negatives, eliminate them, and free up more time and energy for the things that actually move you forward. Get 40% off Magic Mind. Go to https://magicmind.com/anthony40 You’ve heard of the 80/20 rule—but what if 20% of your actions are sabotaging the other 80%? While we focus on maximizing positive results, we often ignore the hidden forces draining our energy, time, and motivation. In this episode, I break down: How a small number of decisions, habits, and relationships create outsized stress and setbacks. The warning signs that an activity or person is part of your “negative 20%.” How to cut the noise and take back control of your time, energy, and productivity. If you’ve ever felt busy but stuck, this episode is for you.

In this episode of 8020 Productivity, we explore how strengthening the connection with your future self can transform your goal-setting and decision-making. we discuss cutting-edge research, practical strategies, and the ripple effects of embracing your future self in every area of life. From emotional connection to actionable milestones, learn how to set yourself up for long-term success today.

Are you grinding away but still feeling stuck, like your hard work isn’t paying off? In this episode, we dive into something that changed the game for me: obsession with value. What if doing less—not more—was the secret to getting better results? We’ll talk about cutting out the fluff, knowing who you’re really working for (hint: it might be you), and focusing on what truly matters. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed or like your efforts aren’t hitting the mark, trust me, you don’t want to miss this one.

Episode Summary Using Task and Goal Cooperation to Beat the Zero sum game of timeIn this follow-up episode, we delve deeper into overcoming the zero-sum game of time management. We recap the fundamental concepts introduced previously and explore new strategies, focusing on cooperation as a method to enhance productivity. Learn how to align your daily activities with your broader goals to maximize efficiency and satisfaction. The first episode is available here Get up to 48% off Magic Mind productivity shots. Go to https://magicmind.com/8020productivity and use CODE: PRD20

Unlocking the Pareto Principle to beat the zero sum game of timeIn this episode of "8020 Productivity," we delve into the zero-sum nature of time and explore effective strategies to maximize productivity by doing less. Discover how the Pareto Principle can transform your time management and ensure you're investing in the activities that yield the most significant results. My favourite digital productivity tool (get double the trial period for free! No credit card required: https://try.sunsama.com/anthony

Episode Summary In this episode, I tackle some major roadblocks we often stumble upon when setting goals. I talk about how personal values, clear visions, and a solid execution strategy are the perfect combo to make your goals a reality. Drawing from personal stories and backed by science, we explore how to up our goal-setting game. So, let's get into the details: The Vital Few (TVF) Timestamps: [00:02:38] Why Putting Your Goals Into Words Matters First, let's talk about the importance of giving voice to your dreams. You'd be amazed at how essential it is to articulate those goals out loud. It's all about getting clear and specific.... [00:05:20] Filling in The Values Gap Next, I venture into what I call the 'values gap’—the discrepancy between what we want and what truly matters to our core. Here's a hint: when your goals align with your personal values, you're setting yourself up for real success.... [00:08:14] Picture This: Your Vision Matters Diving deeper, I chat about how translating your values into a tangible vision of the future can be a powerful motivator. It's all about bridging the gap between our aspirations and reality, making us feel more connected to what we want to achieve.... [00:10:50] Let's Get Practical: Planning and Pencil It in Now, let's put that motivation into action with a bit of solid planning. You'll see how crucial it is to turn your process to achieve your goals into tangible tasks and then make space for them on your calendar. Because trust me, a goal without a plan is just a wish.... [00:14:31] Ignorance Isn’t Bliss: The Knowledge Gap Lastly, I touch on the knowledge gap. Often, we're held back because we don't have enough information or know-how to get from where we are to where we want to be. Here's where a little wisdom goes a long way in helping us progress towards our goals. So, are you ready to embark on this goal-setting journey with me? Listen to the episode and consider leaving your comments and feedback. Thanks! Sponsor: Anthony’s Book: The Law of The Vital Few Notes and References Implementation Intentions 80/20 Productivity Episode: https://anthonysanni.com/podcast/ep-009-zipfs-law-of-least-and-why-laziness-is-good Additive Bias 80/20 Productivity Episode: https://anthonysanni.com/podcast/ep-018-additive-bias-less-is-more-subtractive-changes You are what you Eat: A Twin experiment Netflix Documentary: https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/81133260 Anthony’s Book: The Law of The Vital Few

Episode Summary Is more really more? When it comes to problem-solving, the answer is not so obvious. More often than we might realize, adding things is actually a worse strategy for solving problems than simply taking things away. This episode discusses additive bias and the human tendency to think more is more. Especially, the episode covers why we have this tendency, how it is negatively impacting our problem-solving skills, and importantly, what we might do to overcome it. Some of the main points—The Vital Few (TVF) Timestamps: Link to get Sunsama for free: https://try.sunsama.com/anthony What is additive bias, problem solving and how additive bias hampers creative problem solving (5:04) Legos and why we have additive bias (17:02) Smart subtractions and Chesterton’s Fence (07:05) Wondering why we tend to think more is more? Evolution, status quo bias and how organizations are rigged against you (24:23) The cost of thinking and acting like more is always more (30:06) Level up your problem-solving—how to beat additive bias and all it’s problems (41:20) Notes and References Main paper: People Systematically Overlook Subtractive Changes (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03380-y ) Virtuous Laziness 80/20 Productivity Episode: https://anthonysanni.com/podcast/ep-009-zipfs-law-of-least-and-why-laziness-is-good Status Quo Bias Research: https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/rzeckhauser/files/status_quo_bias_in_decision_making.pdf Anthony’s Book: The Law of The Vital Few

Episode Summary If you are like me, you also have limited resources at your disposal. But often it feels like you are trying to achieve more than you have resources to assign—perhaps against difficult odds. Force concentration is one of the most central concepts in an 80/20 approach to life, work and doing more by doing less. It is a strategy that armies, naval fleets and even camera companies have used to win impossible battles against bigger, stronger enemies and competitors. In this episode, I unpack the strategy of force concentration and how we can use it in our personal lives. Some of the main points—The Vital Few (TVF) Timestamps: The impossible campaign—25 soldiers Vs 100 soldiers Origins of Force Concentration and applying Lanchester’s Laws (02:20) Force Concentration in business—How Canon beat Xerox at their own game (and what we can learn from it) (14:20) The 300 Rule—Lessons from Leonidas and Spartans (15:42) How force concentration puts a twist in the 80/20 story (21:45) Applying force concentration the 80/20 way to your life (24:38) OTAT—One thing at a time and the power of quick wins (25:35) Innovate and Improve along the way (31:05) Leave the big boss for last (34:39) You and what army? (38:50) TLDL and wrap up (39:49) Notes and References Lanchester’s Laws: https://web.williams.edu/Mathematics/sjmiller/public_html/105Sp11/handouts/Lanchester_MathWarfare.pdf Lanchester F.W., Mathematics in Warfare in The World of Mathematics, Vol. 4 (1956) Ed. Newman, J.R., Simon and Schuster, 2138–2157; anthologised from Aircraft in Warfare (1916) ) Force Concentration in The Battle of Trafalgar: https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Trafalgar-European-history The New Lanchester Strategy in Business: New Lanchester Strategy: Sales and Marketing Strategy for the Weak by Shinichi Yano https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1573210048/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i2 Canon Lanchester Strategy: https://customerthink.com/how_canon_used_the_new_lanchester_strategy_to_defeat_xerox/ Anthony’s Book: The Law of The Vital Few https://anthonysanni.com/the-vital-few-book

Episode Summary If you are like me, you also have limited resources at your disposal. But often it feels like you are trying to achieve more than you have resources to assign—perhaps against difficult odds. Force concentration is one of the most central concepts in an 80/20 approach to life, work and doing more by doing less. It is a strategy that armies, naval fleets and even camera companies have used to win impossible battles against bigger, stronger enemies and competitors. In this episode, I unpack the strategy of force concentration and how we can use it in our personal lives. Some of the main points—The Vital Few (TVF) Timestamps: The impossible campaign—25 soldiers Vs 100 soldiers Origins of Force Concentration and applying Lanchester’s Laws (02:20) Force Concentration in business—How Canon beat Xerox at their own game (and what we can learn from it) (14:20) The 300 Rule—Lessons from Leonidas and Spartans (15:42) How force concentration puts a twist in the 80/20 story (21:45) Applying force concentration the 80/20 way to your life (24:38) OTAT—One thing at a time and the power of quick wins (25:35) Innovate and Improve along the way (31:05) Leave the big boss for last (34:39) You and what army? (38:50) TLDL and wrap up (39:49) Notes and References Lanchester’s Laws: https://web.williams.edu/Mathematics/sjmiller/public_html/105Sp11/handouts/Lanchester_MathWarfare.pdf Lanchester F.W., Mathematics in Warfare in The World of Mathematics, Vol. 4 (1956) Ed. Newman, J.R., Simon and Schuster, 2138–2157; anthologised from Aircraft in Warfare (1916) ) Force Concentration in The Battle of Trafalgar: https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Trafalgar-European-history The New Lanchester Strategy in Business: New Lanchester Strategy: Sales and Marketing Strategy for the Weak by Shinichi Yano https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1573210048/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i2 Canon Lanchester Strategy: https://customerthink.com/how_canon_used_the_new_lanchester_strategy_to_defeat_xerox/ Anthony’s Book: The Law of The Vital Few https://anthonysanni.com/the-vital-few-book

Episode Summary Setting goals—also known as goal intentions—is simply not enough! What makes the real difference? That’s what this episode is about. Through a combination of scientific research, personal experience and common-sense practicality, I explore Implementations Intentions and how they can help you go beyond goal intention to goal attainment. See timestamps below for some of the highlights. Hope it helps. Some of the main points—The Vital Few (TVF) Timestamps: What is an implementation intention and how working out and getting fit is not just about setting goals Hacking your own goal-pursuit behaviours—Why Implementation Intentions work (12:13) No start, no achievement—Implementation Intentions and getting started (14:05) When life happens—Preventing derailment and overcoming temptations (17:05) Don’t get set in your ways—do Implementation intentions help you identify approaches that are not working? (20:50) Overcoming the ego problem and becoming a robot, in a good way (24:20) How to create solid and effective implementation intentions—Features of a good implementation intention based on research and experience (32:13) Frequency, proximity and Convenience (35:15) If/Then on steroids! Using If/then in deciding in advance (37:16) Use technology smartly (40:05) No magic bullet—Limitations of Implementation Intentions—and how you can fill the gaps (44:00) Notes and References Research on Implementation Intentions Weakness of Will: Is a Quick Fix Possible? https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11031-014-9416-3 Implementation intentions in the entrepreneurial process: concept, empirical findings, and research agenda https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11187-017-9971-6 Implementation Intentions: Strong Effects of Simple Plans https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1999-05760-004 Book on Willpower: Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by Dr Roy F. Baumeister Anthony’s Book: The Law of The Vital Few

Episode SummaryWe are good at meeting with others, but have you considered meeting with yourself as a way to saty on track and achieve your goals?Anthony’s Book: The Law of The Vital Few

Episode Summary Brad King is an Organizational Change consultant who specializes in agile team evolution, change management and execution strategies. He has been trusted by companies ranging from education to energy to facilitate transformations in how work is done among specialized teams and how goals and strategies translate to concrete action that drive business growth. I invited Brad to bring the team dimension to productivity and to pick his buzzing brain on trending topics like remote work as well as talk about some approaches to work going forward. Listen through to the end where Brad shares his 20% that has made the biggest difference as well as an inspiring thought on personal productivity. Highlights (TVF Timestamps) Why being a deeply skilled individual is not enough anymore (04:00) (1:00:00) The error of treating team knowledge work with the outdated industrial mindset (08:00) Does environment shape behaviour in organizations? (13:00) The Work From Home and Hybrid Work Conundrum (15:00) An intriguing less talked about aspect of inclusion regarding women in the workforce (23:00) 80/20 Problems of teams. Is your team just a group? (28:00) One investment that will make a HUGE difference. It’s not what you think. (38:00) One possible reason why burnout happens (45:00) Greater than the sum of it’s parts—a metaphor for individuals and teams (49:00) Executive leadership’s role in facilitating effective team work (54:00) (1:07:00) As always, Brad’s 20% (1:11:00) Brad’s Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kingbrad/ Official Website: https://bradleyking.ca/

80-20 productivity hacks is a series on 80 20 Productivity where Anthony Sanni presents and often unpacks actionable, science-backed productivity tools, techniques and practices that help you do more by doing less. Episode Summary Do you use to-do lists? If you don't, you should. They seem simple, but running under the hood is a strong engine to turbo-charge your productivity. If you already use to-do lists, this episode with increase your confidence in using them because you will understand why and how they work as well as give you some ideas to make your to-do-listing more effective. But what is a to-do list? Why does it work so well? And, more importantly, how do you use them correctly—especially in the 80 20 way—to boost your productivity? All that and more on this episode of 80 20 Productivity. Some of the main points (TVF Timestamps): The 3 major reasons why to-do lists work so well (03:40) How to-do lists de-clutter your brain and reduce stress and anxiety (06:29) The vital role of writing it down (14:40) 3 ways NOT to use a to-do list—common mistakes (19:55) Notes and References Dr Bluma Zeigarnik (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluma_Zeigarnik ) Robert Cialdini Reference: This can be found in Cialdini’s most popular book— Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion under Principle 2: Commitment and Consistency Dr Gail Matthews research on Goal Setting See Research summary from Dominican University in California here Note: Opens a PDF document.(https://www.dominican.edu/sites/default/files/2020-02/gailmatthews-harvard-goals-researchsummary.pdf) Reference to Forbes quote here (https://forbesbooks.com/the-science-behind-setting-goals-and-achieving-them/) Actual quote attributed to Dr Matthews: “My study provides empirical evidence for the effectiveness of three coaching tools: accountability, commitment, and writing down one’s goals.” Quote: We overestimate what we can achieve in one day, but underestimate what we can achieve in one year. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the source for this quote exactly. However there were many references floating around online of a similar quote from Bill Gates. This is one of those cases where the value of the idea outweighs accuracy. Anthony’s Book: The Law of The Vital Few