The Pareto Principle

 

Originally, the Pareto Principle referred to the observation by Vilfredo Pareto that 80% of Italy’s wealth belonged to only 20% of the population.

 

It's commonly referred to as the 80/20 rule and is a useful guide.  While the % split may vary from instance to instance the overall principle is that there is an uneven distribution of effort to results.

 

e.g.

• 20% of clients contribute 80% of the companies business

• 20% of effort generates 80% of the results  

• 20% of the features are used by 80% of the users (e.g. Microsoft Word)

 

Why is this useful?

 

Discovering the 20% that generates the most productivity can have a profound effect. Imagine if you could recreate another 80% productivity - or even just another 20%  for that matter.

 

Conversely, finding the 20% that causes the 80% pain or irritation in your life - and working to remove that. 

 

Remember this isn't a hard and fast rule, it's a principle.  Effort doesn't always equal reward, but the right effort can produce fantastic results.  

 

When you plan out your day or week, try and identify the top most valuable tasks - the ones that generate the most value for what you need to do.    Once you have that list now allocate about 90 minutes (20% of 8 hours is 96min) a day to work on only those tasks.

 

Let us know how that works for you.