By Dan Davidson, Managing Director, Landing Point Consulting
In today’s always-on work environment, professionals across industries are being asked to do more with less: less time, fewer resources, and increasing complexity. The challenge isn’t effort; it’s focus. That’s where leveraging the 80/20 principle becomes especially powerful.
The 80/20 principle suggests that 80% of results often come from just 20% of inputs. In today’s professional landscape, understanding where your time and energy actually drive impact is critical for productivity, performance, and long-term career growth. Whether you’re leading teams, managing clients, or navigating personal workload priorities, the ability to distinguish high-impact work from low-return activity can fundamentally change how you operate.
In this video, Dan Davidson, Managing Director at Landing Point Consulting, explains how the 80/20 principle serves as a practical prioritization tool—one that helps professionals reflect on how they spend their time, eliminate inefficiencies, and make smarter decisions, especially as artificial intelligence becomes a larger part of the modern workplace.
[Dan Davidson, Managing Director at Landing Point Consulting, offers advice for applying the 80/20 principle to prioritize high-impact work and improve efficiency.]
Key Takeaways
Applying the 80/20 principle starts with honest reflection. By looking at how time is spent in a typical day or week, professionals can begin to separate tasks that drive outcomes from those that simply fill space. This exercise often reveals that a significant portion of effort is dedicated to activities that contribute very little to overall success.
Once those low-impact tasks are identified, the next step is intentional action. Some responsibilities can be automated, others delegated, and some eliminated entirely. This is where AI tools are playing a growing role. AI-driven solutions now allow professionals to handle repetitive, time-consuming tasks more efficiently than ever before, freeing up capacity for strategic thinking, leadership, and problem-solving.
From a consulting and leadership perspective, this approach isn’t just about productivity—it’s about sustainability. Professionals who consistently focus on high-impact work are better positioned to adapt, innovate, and deliver value over time. Teams that embrace this mindset operate with greater clarity and less burnout, while organizations benefit from sharper execution and smarter resource allocation.
Ultimately, leveraging the 80/20 principle is about working smarter, not harder. It encourages professionals to be intentional with their time, align effort with outcomes, and continuously refine how they operate as tools and expectations evolve.
Related Reading: A Proactive Habit to Build Lasting Confidence
Looking to improve efficiency, prioritize impact, or build smarter workflows across your organization? Landing Point Consulting partners with leaders and teams to drive performance through thoughtful strategy and execution. Connect with us to learn how our consultants can help you focus on what matters most.
Transcript
Dan Davidson:
The 80/20 Principle is the concept that 80% of your results come from 20% of your inputs. This is a tool to help you prioritize.
Prioritization is something we do both in our personal and professional lives. It starts by taking time to reflect on how you spend your day and identifying the activities that make up the 80% of effort but only lead to 20% of results.
Once those activities are identified, it allows you to think about automating them, delegating them, or finding efficiencies in how they’re done.
Leveraging the 80/20 Principle has never been more relevant, especially with the addition of artificial intelligence to our toolkit. AI enables solutions that didn’t previously exist for tasks that take a lot of time but don’t necessarily deliver high impact.
About Dan Davidson
Dan Davidson is a Managing Director at Landing Point, specializing in business development and strategic partnerships across the firm’s Accounting & Finance and Consulting practices. He works closely with Controllers, CAOs, and CFOs nationwide to align accounting and finance consulting talent with organizational needs and growth objectives.
Combining a strong foundation in audit and accounting with a relationship-first approach, Dan draws on his prior experience with KPMG’s Assurance practice in New York and The Siegfried Group’s national consulting practice, where he spent more than six years building strategic alliances with Fortune 1000 organizations.
Dan is known for his authenticity, optimism, and ability to create long-term value for clients. He earned his accounting degree from Fordham University, where he served as President of Beta Alpha Psi. Outside the office, Dan enjoys skiing, golfing, and exploring his passion for cars and travel.