The 80/20 Principle suggests that 80 percent of our results come from 20 percent of our efforts. The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less by Richard Koch shows how we can achieve much more with much less effort, time, and resources, simply by identifying and focusing our efforts on the 20 percent that really counts.
The Italian economist, Vilfredo Pareto, developed the 80/20 Rule or Pareto’s Principle. Richard Koch built on the work of others, including Pareto, to write The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less.
The 80/20 Principle explains that 20 percent of our time accounts for 80 percent of the work we accomplish. In other words, we waste 80 percent of our time on low priority activities. When we consider that 20 percent of our time yields 80 percent of our quality output, we can eliminate activities that are not valuable.
An example the author uses of the 80/20 principle is that 20 percent of customers account for 80 percent of revenues for businesses. But we can apply this principle for almost anything in our lives.
For example, to apply The 80/20 Principle towards our friendships consider that 20 percent of our friends provide 80 percent of our support and fun. We should shift the time spent on toxic relationships and save our time for the 20 percent who matter most.
As nannies, we should focus that at least 80 percent (or more) of our Nanny Kids behaviors are great and just 20 percent of misbehavior is due to the fact that they are learning and developing skills they don’t yet have.
The same applies for our job duties. No one likes their job all the time. But, if we enjoy working at our jobs 80 percent of the time and just have to force ourselves to do chores we don’t like just 20 percent of the time we are luckier than most.
For nutrition we can focus on eating 80 percent healthy, nutritious foods and no more than 20 percent to indulge in less healthy foods. Or we could say that 20% of foods cause 80% of our weight gain.
For clutter we can aim to get rid of 20 percent of the stuff that takes up 80 percent of our living space. Most people wear only 20% of their clothing 80% of time. So, we should get rid of 20 percent of the paperwork on our desks, the clothes we don’t wear in our closets, the kitchen appliances we don’t use, and toys the kids have outgrown.
In our digital lives we can delete 20 percent of the files that use up 80 percent of the space we use. We may use only 20 percent of applications on our computers and phones 80 percent of the time. We can delete 20 percent of the emails that take 80 percent of the space. We often use 20 percent of the gadgets 80 percent of the time and should sell or donate the rest.
Do only 20 percent of our habits and routines create 80 percent of productivity? For example, we should be sure to continue meditating and exercising, but reduce wasting time watching television or scrolling social media.
We can even apply The 80/20 Principle when traveling. We often only use 20 percent of the clothes and toiletries we pack and the other 80 percent isn’t essential.
The corollary to the The 80/20 Principle is that little of what we spend our time on actually counts. But by concentrating on those things that do, we can unlock the enormous potential of the magic 20 percent, and transform our effectiveness in our jobs, our careers, our homes, and our lives.
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