I kicked off the year with a lot of input on clarity. And while there were tactical exercises on how to gain focus, KEEPING focus is a whole different challenge.  Remaining productive in a shifting market can be a challenge. The good news? The same tried-and-true productivity principles apply.  In this context, the “80/20 rule” is by far my favorite - followed by time blocking and theming. Finally, I love the “done by one” mantra to make sure the most important actions take precedence. 

80/20 Rule for Federal Sales:  

The federal market is complex, bureaucratic, and full of rabbit holes that can consume time and resources with little return. Many companies—especially new entrants—struggle to balance competing priorities: responding to endless RFPs, chasing every opportunity, and meeting with every government contact who expresses interest. But not all efforts are created equal.

This is where the 80/20 rule, or Pareto Principle, becomes a game-changer. The concept is simple: 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. When applied to federal sales, this principle can dramatically improve efficiency, reduce wasted time, and accelerate meaningful traction in the market.

Identifying the 20% That Drives 80% of Your Federal Revenue

1. Focus on the Right Customers
   Not every agency, program office, or contracting shop is a good fit for your solution. Many companies get caught in the trap of pitching widely instead of strategically. The act of seeking clarity helps you identify and prioritize leads. Clarity is NOT a one-and-done activity. Create a regular cadence for calibration, and continue to hone in on the leads that are best for you.
2. Build Deep Relationships with Key Decision-Makers
   Not every conversation is equal. Chasing every introductory meeting will drain your resources. Instead, focus on the small group of decision-makers (Program Managers, Contracting Officers, Requirements Owners) who control the budgets and acquisitions in your sector. These individuals drive the 80% of contract awards that actually matter to you.
3. Refine Your Capture Strategy
   Stop responding blindly to RFIs, RFPs or BAA postings. Winning companies track opportunities well before they are published, aligning their solutions to government priorities and engaging the right stakeholders early. The most successful firms shape requirements rather than react to them.  I do recommend following the solicitations that align with your goals - but your first action should be connecting to the soliciting agency, not launching into proposal management on a string of RFI responses. 
4. Leverage Proven Processes and Partners
   Many small businesses in federal sales struggle because they try to do everything themselves. Identify which 20% of your internal processes drive the majority of your success, and look for partners (large primes, resellers, or expert advisors) to handle the rest. The right teaming partners can open doors to 80% of opportunities you wouldn’t access alone.
5. Prioritize High-Impact Pathways
   Many companies continually pursue one-off relationships when a more streamlined pathway may be available. Leverage data to determine what pathways yield the majority of acquisitions in your target space and be sure you’re aligned for success. If you are best suited for an enterprise wide vehicle like GSA, carve out the time NOW so it’s there when the opportunities arise. 

Avoiding the 80% That Wastes Time

• Endless capability briefings that don’t lead to follow-ups or acquisition pathways.
• Chasing cold RFPs where the winner was likely decided before it was ever posted.
• Spreading thin across too many agencies instead of concentrating on the ones that matter.
• Pursuing ‘interest’ over ‘funding’—the federal government loves to explore new tech, but interest alone doesn’t pay the bills.

Time Blocking & Theme Days

With any job that blends relationship building with deep work – especially poignant for startups and small business employees who wear many hats, it’s easy to get lost in reactive tasks—chasing emails, jumping on unplanned calls, or scrambling to meet proposal deadlines.  This results in a rapid loss of clarity and focus. 

Time blocking and theme days create discipline around high-value activities and minimize distractions. Instead of letting the week be dictated by external demands, this approach ensures that the most impactful work gets done consistently.

Time blocking means dedicating specific, uninterrupted periods to core sales activities—whether that’s deep research, capture planning, outreach, or proposal writing. For example, a federal sales team might reserve Monday mornings for intelligence gathering and opportunity tracking, ensuring they stay ahead of upcoming solicitations. Afternoons might be blocked for relationship-building activities like targeted outreach to key stakeholders, reviewing contracting forecasts, or scheduling follow-ups with program managers. By pre-scheduling these blocks, sales teams avoid reactive firefighting and instead work with clear intent.

I love this approach because it helps keep my mind clear - when a task comes in, it doesn’t stack on a long list sitting on my shoulders - it goes into its folder and I already know WHEN that task fits in my calendar.  This also limits the time I have for tasks that may otherwise eat up my schedule. When your time is blocked with more allocated to needle-moving activities, the urgent is much less likely to overtake the important.

How you organize your blocks is up to you! I have bigger blocks with more flexibility and general themes of what I'll do. I've known others who have tighter blocks with more specific parameters. 

Theme days take this a step further by assigning entire days to strategic sales functions. This method prevents context-switching, which drains productivity, and ensures that the most important tasks—those 20% that drive 80% of revenue—receive the focused effort they deserve.

Example Theme/Timeblocked Schedule

Below is an example of what a themed and time blocked schedule might look like.  

If you’re thinking - but I need to be available for my customers - absolutely.  Recommend your ideal times, but offer them the chance to suggest additional times if your blocks don’t work.  This makes it more likely that they’ll fit into your schedule, but allows you to prioritize high value customer interactions. 

If you’re thinking - my team would never allow this, internally. You might be surprised.  First, your teammate may find this idea appealing to enhance everyone's productivity.  Second, setting boundaries by blocking your calendar and explaining your purpose can be very effective. If it’s too much of a shock to the system you’re working within, consider starting by blocking off a few 2 hour blocks for deep work, before launching into full themes. 

Monday – Meetings, Planning & Outreach

📌 Goal: Align internally, set priorities, and initiate outreach for the week.

• 8:00 – 10:00 AM: Internal team meetings (BD sync, pipeline review, strategy updates).
• 10:00 – 12:00 PM: Opportunity tracking & planning (SAM.gov, FPDS, agency forecasts).
• 12:00 – 1:00 PM: Lunch break.
• 1:00 – 3:00 PM: Outreach & follow-ups (emails, LinkedIn, introductions).
• 3:00 – 4:30 PM: Partner check-ins (primes, resellers, teaming discussions).

Tuesday – Customer & Team Engagement

📌 Goal: Prioritize customer and internal stakeholder conversations.

• 8:00 – 10:00 AM: Customer calls & relationship-building (Program Managers, Contracting Officers).
• 10:00 – 12:00 PM: Team meetings (capture updates, proposal discussions, solution alignment).
• 12:00 – 1:00 PM: Lunch break.
• 1:00 – 3:00 PM: Industry engagement.
• 3:00 – 4:30 PM: Action items & follow-ups from customer meetings.

Wednesday – Deep Work & Execution

📌 Goal: Focus on high-value work with no distractions.

• 8:00 – 10:00 AM: Capture planning (developing win themes, shaping opportunities).
• 10:00 – 12:00 PM: Proposal writing & red team reviews.
• 12:00 – 1:00 PM: Lunch break.
• 1:00 – 4:30 PM: Deep Work 

Thursday – Customer & Team Meetings

📌 Goal: Maintain momentum with flexible meeting time.

• 8:00 – 10:00 AM: Customer calls & government meetings (status updates, contracting strategy).
• 10:00 – 12:00 PM: Proposal collaboration & teaming discussions.
• 12:00 – 1:00 PM: Lunch break.
• 1:00 – 3:00 PM: Networking Planning.
• 3:00 – 4:30 PM: Closing out the week’s outreach & CRM updates.

Friday – White Space & Flexibility

📌 Goal: Leave room for creative thinking, catch-up, and resetting.

• 8:00 – 10:00 AM: Open space for strategic thinking or major tasks.
• 10:00 – 12:00 PM: Catch-up time (overflow tasks, reviewing notes, follow-ups).
• 12:00 – 1:00 PM: Lunch break.
• 1:00 – 3:00 PM: Professional development (reading, training, market research).
• 3:00 – 4:30 PM: Planning & prioritization for next week.

“Done by One”

Brendan Burchard, a leader in high performance and personal development, often preaches the mantra “done by one”.  This accompanies the daily prioritized task activity.  In any day, you probably have 10-15 tasks. You may even prioritize them, but if you’re like me you probably find yourself saying “BUT I NEED TO DO THEM ALL TO DAY”.   

So here’s the trick – Yes, aim to work them all, but still pick the top 3 most needle moving activities, and promise yourself to get them done by 1PM. You still have a lot of the day to tackle the rest of your to do list, but by identifying the key tasks with an earlier deadline, you’re making progress on the important things, while leaving space for your perfectionist mind to believe it will do everything (even though we both know this rarely happens - it’s okay. You’re in good company). 

If you're a disciplined time blocker, and you have a "must do" task that you know is scheduled for an afternoon block, no problem! Just make it the FIRST thing you do in that time block. 

I always love hearing new tips, tricks, and methods for a harmonious life. Please reach out with your faves! 

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