As we all know, time is the only thing we all have the same amount of. I’m always asked how my clients accomplish so much more during their days.

I have several ideas I’ve learned over the years that could make the next 365 days your most productive ever. It doesn’t matter how old or young you are; these four tips will make you more effective.

The first tip of having your best year ever is to do less. I believe most entrepreneurs invest significant time doing things that they shouldn‘t being doing at all. When I work with clients, I have them fill out a schedule to see what their days look like. I ask them to write down what they are doing every 15 minutes for one or two days.

When they finish recording this information, I have them rate how important they think each activity is to their success. Use 1 for very important, 2 is something that needs to be done, or 3, which means it has no impact on what they achieve either short or long term. If you’re like most entrepreneurs and serving leaders, your sheet is full of 2s and 3s with one or two 1s thrown in for good measure.

The second tip for having your best year ever is to stop doing the 3s. If you want to be more successful you must become good at doing only the things that have a major impact on what you’re trying to achieve. If you do no more than cutting out the 3s, you will be well on your way to you best year ever.

The third tip for having your best year ever is to decide what you do that no one else can do for your organization. Most leaders think what they do is irreplaceable. You truly believe you’re the only one who can manage the sales meeting, or run the production meeting, or some other task that only you can do. The bad news is if you’re still doing these things after you grow beyond $1 million of annual revenue, you’re involved in a hobby, not a business. Last time I checked, none of my clients were willing to buy a hobby.

The fourth tip for having your best year ever is how you should handle your list of 2s. Twos are great opportunities to delegate more effectively. When you’re a smaller business, people leave because of you. More accurately, they leave your business because they feel unchallenged in their role. They have limited connection to their leaders and most would prefer to earn their money rather than have money just given to them.

Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Think about why you left your last job. I believe most people are looking to grow and expand their responsibilities. If you want to have your best year ever you must learn to delegate and develop the key people around you. No matter what business you’re in, you experience your greatest growth when you begin leveraging your people’s unique strengths, gifts, and life experiences.

To have your best year ever you must learn how to identify your 1s and then develop them into what you invest your time in, and only in them. My experience helping others have their best year ever means you need to know which 20% of what you do gives you the greatest results. It also means identifying the hidden strengths of the people around you.

Confused about the whole 20% thing? Don’t worry, next week I share a version of the 80/20 rule that could change your team’s lives forever. Don’t miss it. See you next week.