It can be difficult to set priorities and action them, and rarely do we put enough time aside in business for this type of planning. As the old Irish saying goes, ‘If you don’t know where you are going, you will never get there’.

We have three key resources to manage in business: time, people and money. Use these precious resources foolishly and we miss the big opportunities. Of course, it is true that time – once spent – is gone.

You will have heard about the 80:20 rule. The Pareto principle says that for many events, roughly 80 per cent of the effects come from 20 per cent of the cause. This means that 80 per cent of your day gives you 20 per cent of your results.

Put another way:

• 80 per cent of a company’s profits come from 20 per cent of its customers
• 80 per cent of a company’s profits come from 20 per cent of the time its staff spend working
• 80 per cent of a company’s sales come from 20 per cent of its products.

Is what you and your team do on a daily basis effective and efficient? How do you know this and how often do you review it? When was the last time you looked at every aspect of the business – especially the dispensing process – and measured how efficient it was?

What can only you do? What adds no benefit to your business and your goals?