80% of your results come from 20% of what you do. Clichés often become clichés for good reason. There is gold to be mined!
The Pareto Principle, the 80/20 rule, Juran’s Law, the vital few and the trivial many, call it what you will. This principle has stood the test of time for a very good reason. It works and it can be applied to many things in our lives.
Let’s look at 3 areas where 80/20 can help you today:
1) Productivity
We all have lots to do, lots of everyday commitments and jobs to complete. Some of it is necessary some of it definitely is not. How about spending more time on those things that really matter? The things that get you closer to your goals and improve your life and general well being.
80/20 thinking and regular 80/20 analysis helps us here by forcing us to focus on the big rocks that make the most impact. Clearing the unnecessary to make room for the necessary.
Review what you do on a daily and weekly basis. Is it helping or hindering you? Does it need to be done? If not, could it be dropped?
2) Tasks
This ties in with no 1 but is worthy of its own place as well,
It’s quite possible that 80% of the tasks you spend your time on do not matter much! This helps explain why many of us can be extremely busy but still feel we’re getting nowhere fast.
Use 80/20 thinking to ensure your attention is focused on the tasks that matter and arrange your time and day accordingly (this may mean getting an early start and front ending the important tasks for example).
Ask yourself continuously, are you spending your time focused on the tasks that matter to you and are helping you get closer to your goals in life.
3) Meetings and Commitments
Most meetings are a waste of time at best (perhaps even more than 80% of them!). Avoid them if and where you can and ensure the ones you do attend are worthy of your attendance and you have a clear idea of what the objective is. The same goes for commitments, make sure you’re only filling your diary with arrangements and people you really want to make space for where possible. Learn to say no to the others.
These are just three very quick ways 80/20 thinking and application can start to make a positive impact in our lives. However, 80/20 thinking can be applied to anything in life and once you start to use it and clear way for those things that really matter to you there’s no turning back.