As I’ve networked with small business owners in the past few months, an overarching business concern that seems to come up frequently is: how do I prioritize what is important?
Running a small business often feels like spinning a dozen plates at once. Ask any owner what’s “most important” and the answer is usually the same: everything.
This is the paradox of entrepreneurship. Unlike larger companies with specialized departments, small business owners wear a lot of hats. Yet as Greg McKeown, author of “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less,” reminds us: “If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.” The same applies to business. When everything is treated as urgent, what is truly important gets lost. Cal Newport, author of “Deep Work,” provides useful ideas in his book also.
So, how can leaders cut through the noise? Here’s how McKeown’s essentialism and Cal Newport’s deep work frameworks offer a playbook for clarity.
Redefine “important.” McKeown’s method starts with a ruthless filter: What is essential, and what is not? For small business owners, essentials are the activities that directly create value for customers or safeguard the future of the company. The trap is mistaking activity for impact. Answering emails may feel urgent, but negotiating a supplier contract could matter more in the long run.
Protect time for deep work. Newport, in “Deep Work,” defines focus as a competitive advantage in a distracted world. For business owners, deep work might mean writing a strategic growth plan, analyzing financials or developing a new product — tasks that demand clarity, not constant interruptions. Block 90-minute, non-negotiable sessions each week. Even a few sessions can transform decision-making and output.
The $10, $100, $1,000 rule. A simple lens is to classify tasks by value:
- $10 tasks: Checking email, updating spreadsheets.
- $100 tasks: Meeting with a key customer, reviewing the P&L.
- $1,000 tasks: Securing a strategic partnership, hiring a key leader, launching a new revenue stream.
Owners often get stuck in $10 tasks because they are easy and provide a quick sense of progress. But only $1,000 tasks move the business forward. Delegation, automation or elimination of low-value work is non-negotiable.
Adopt the Rule of One. Instead of juggling five priorities daily, embrace the “Rule of One.” Each morning, identify the single task that, if completed, would make the day a success. Everything else is secondary.
Design for focus, not just productivity. Owners often confuse being busy with being productive. Newport emphasizes designing environments that protect attention. That could mean:
- No meetings before noon.
- Tools that batch notifications.
- Separate “strategy space” from “execution space.”
Small design choices preserve the mental bandwidth for the work that matters most.
Embrace trade-offs. Perhaps the hardest truth is: you cannot do it all. Every “yes” is also a “no.” McKeown argues that trade-offs are not failures. They are the essence of prioritization. Choosing fewer but better activities protects your energy and sharpens results.
Running a small business will always feel like everything is important. McKeown shows us how to decide what truly matters; Newport shows us how to focus once we have chosen. For small business owners, the path forward is not about doing more. It is about doing less, and doing it with undivided attention. ●
Sanjay Singh is a Board Advisor and Private Investor
