#  Episode 1: The Weekly Colour Audit Matrix (Red, Blue & Black Work)

Reading Time: 1 minute

Downloadable Worksheet### Weekly Colour Audit Matrix (PDF)

Categorise operational hours into maintenance (Red), execution (Blue), and strategic leverage (Black).

[ Download PDF Resource ](https://sapience.com.au/images/8Minutes/downloads/8-minutes-weekly-colour-audit-matrix.pdf)

#### The Core Framework

Technical mastery gets you into the game; strategic use of your limited time and resources keeps you in control. Most small business owners don't have a talent problem; they have a *capacity allocation* problem. And while many business owners will tell you 'time is money,' perhaps a better way to frame that is 'time is colour'.

- **Red Work (<25% Target):** Unpaid compliance, maintenance, invoicing, and emergency firefighting. Essential upkeep but yields $0 margin.
- **Blue Work (50–60% Target):** Direct execution, paid client delivery, and craft work. Generates **today's** cash flow.
- **Black Work (15–20% Target):** Strategic engine building, process creation, proposal automation, and pricing resets. Generates **future** business value.

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