The Pareto 80/20 principle

Many people have heard of the 80/20 principle, the notion that 80% of our results come from just 20% of our time. This theory came form the Italian economist Pareto in the year 1897. Fascinatingly he noticed that 80% of his peas grown in his garden came from 205 of his peapods and from there he looked at diverse areas of life and found very similar results. Basically according to this principle:

• 80% of consequences flow form 20% of the causes
• 80% of the results come from 20% of the effort and time
• 80% of company profits come from just 20% of the products and the customer base
• The other way around means that 20% of the population have 80% of the wealth

However not that many people really put the principle into practice but the majority of people could benefit hugely from this discovery and make great strides in their careers and work by simply employing this idea. The real issue is are you truly being productive or just being busy for the sake of it. The 80/20 principle invites you to look at what you are really doing with your day and trimming the fat to make it leaner.

For example, examine whether you are dong the core things that you are good at or excel in, are you really doing just those things that you were employed to do. If not then trim the fat. It could take you a few weeks to look at everything that you are doing so the best way is to throw it all up against the wall and see what sticks but basically you should be looking at the following:

1 .Which 20% of sources are resulting in 80% of your desired outcomes and and happiness

2. Which 20% of your sources are causing 80% of my problems and unhappiness

For most people their most productive 20% will be in the morning after they have truly woken up and are rested and towards the end of the afternoon the body tends to start winding down. So the morning, at least for most people, should be spent doing the core activities that bring you results.

We need to remember that being busy is actually a form of laziness if we are not really being productive.