🔍 The filter I’m using to eliminate 80%
January 6th, 2026
In my last blog of 2025, I promised we’d dive into a series on Clearing Conversations in the new year – and we will, starting next week.
But first, I wanted to share a strategic framework that’s reshaping my entire business. For many of you heading back to work this week, this might be exactly what you need to frame your year.
Nearing the end of the year, when I was halfway through reading “10x is Easier than 2x,” I deactivated my business Instagram account.
Not because it was broken. Because it wasn’t working for the business I’m building.
If you’re familiar with the book’s premise, you know: 80% of your results come from 20% of your activities.
To grow exponentially, eliminate the 80% and double down on the 20%.
Simple concept. Brutal execution.
Here’s what makes it brutal:
That 80% isn’t always obvious. It’s rarely broken or failing. Sometimes it’s just…fine. Functional. Even moderately successful.
But “fine” is the enemy of exceptional.
And that’s the trap most of us fall into – we keep doing things that are “working okay” while wondering why we can’t break through to the next level.
The Strategic Elimination Filter
I developed a 5-question filter to identify what actually needs to go. I used it on Instagram first, but I’m now running everything in my business through it.
Here’s the framework:
Question 1: Does this activity directly serve my future clients?
Not your current clients. Not your past clients. Your future clients.
The people you’re positioning to work with next.
For Instagram: No. My future clients – multi-six-figure coaches and consultants looking for a Fractional Chief of Staff – aren’t scrolling Instagram looking for strategic thought partnership. They’re on LinkedIn having real conversations.
The insight: If an activity serves where you’ve been but not where you’re going, it’s holding you back.
Question 2: Does it energize me or drain me?
This isn’t about only doing fun things. It’s about honest assessment of energetic ROI.
Some activities are hard but energizing (challenging client work, strategic thinking, writing). Others are just…hard (algorithm anxiety, content performance tracking, managing multiple platforms).
For Instagram: Drained me. Constant demands for content. Zero meaningful conversations. Team resources spent maintaining something that generated nothing.
The insight: If something consistently drains energy without proportional return, it’s a leak in your system.
Question 3: Does it create connection or just noise?
There’s a difference between visibility and connection.
Visibility = people see you
Connection = people engage, respond, book calls, share insights
For Instagram: Noise. I was posting into the void. No DMs from ideal clients. No strategic conversations. Just vanity metrics that didn’t translate to business growth.
The insight: If you’re creating content but not conversations, you’re wasting energy.
Question 4: Could someone else do this, or does it require my specific expertise?
As a Fractional Chief of Staff, my value is strategic thinking, pattern recognition, and thought partnership. Those things can’t be delegated.
Content creation, platform management, engagement – those can.
For Instagram: Anyone could manage it. Nothing about Instagram content required my specific strategic lens. It was just…maintenance.
The insight: If your highest-value activities are being crowded out by things anyone could do, you’re underutilizing your zone of genius.
Important note: Question 4 isn’t automatically an elimination signal – it’s a delegation signal. If an activity serves your future clients and creates real connection, but someone else could handle it, that’s your cue to delegate, not delete.
Question 5: If I stopped doing this tomorrow, would anyone who matters actually notice?
Not “would anyone notice.” Would anyone who matters to your business notice?
Your ideal clients. Strategic partners. Referral sources.
For Instagram: No. The people who need my services wouldn’t even know I had an Instagram account, much less miss it.
The insight: If the people you’re trying to reach aren’t paying attention, you’re performing for the wrong audience.
What This Filter Revealed
When I ran Instagram through these five questions, the answer was clear: It failed every single one.
So it went.
But here’s what passed the filter with flying colours:
LinkedIn → Where my clients actually are → Energizes me through real conversations → Creates connection, not just visibility → Requires my strategic voice and thought leadership → My ideal clients engage here consistently
Weekly blogs (like this one) → Serves my future clients by demonstrating how I think → Energizes me – I love this format → Creates deep connection (65-70% open rates, thoughtful replies) → Only I can write these → Subscribers tell me these blogs influence their decision to work with me
Strategic collaborations + podcast guesting → Reaches aligned audiences → Energizing conversations → Creates meaningful connections → Showcases my expertise → Ideal clients discover me through these
Everything else? Either handed off to my team or eliminated entirely.
Try This Framework Yourself
Pick one activity you’re doing “because you should” or “because you always have.”
Run it through the five questions:
- Does this serve my future clients?
- Does it energize or drain me?
- Does it create connection or noise?
- Could someone else do this?
- Would anyone who matters notice if I stopped?
If this activity fails more than two of these tests, it’s probably part of your 80%.
But here’s the nuance: Not everything in your 80% needs to be eliminated. Some of it needs to be delegated.
Delegate when: The activity serves your future clients and creates real connection, but someone else could handle it.
Eliminate when: The activity fails the first three questions – it’s not serving your future, it requires your expertise but is draining your energy, or it’s creating noise instead of connection.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth: Eliminating it may feel scary, irresponsible, or like you’re “giving up.”
Do it anyway.
Because elimination isn’t about doing less. It’s about removing friction from the path to your actual goals.
It’s not sacrifice. It’s strategy.
What’s Next in My 10x Journey
Closing Instagram was elimination #1.
Since finishing the book over the winter break, I’ve implemented more of the framework: preloaded my year in a “Big A## Calendar” with Free and Focus Days and Weeks for rejuvenation and peak performance, reorganized my weekly schedule to better batch similar tasks, and created longer blocks of time for productive deep work.
I’m also running my entire business through this filter:
→ Client types
→ Service offerings
→ Collaborative partnerships
→ Content formats
→ Time commitments
→ Team structure
Some tough decisions ahead. But that’s the point.
10x isn’t comfortable. It’s intentional.
I’ll keep documenting what I’m learning here in my weekly blogs. If you know someone who’s feeling scattered across too many platforms or stuck in “fine” territory, forward this their way.
Curious what this could look like in your business?
I’m currently working with coaches as their Fractional Chief of Staff, and one spot will open in February. If you’re interested in exploring strategic thought partnership that helps you eliminate the 80% and scale your 20%, email me here.
And if you missed my LinkedIn post on this topic, join the conversation in the comments here where coaches and consultants are sharing their takes on this, too.
Talk soon,
Moriah
P.S. Next week, we’re diving into that Clearing Conversations series I promised. Start thinking about a relationship where there’s conflict, noise, or distortion in how you’re relating to each other – a team member, colleague, or personal relationship – where you’d like to repair and become more effective. We’ll work through it together.
P.P.S. As one of my weekly readers, you get exclusive early access to the Winter 2026 edition of Flow State of Mind – a carefully crafted electronic music mix designed specifically to help you focus deeper and feel genuinely inspired – a full week before my LinkedIn community gets their hands on it.