The Pareto Principle
This one simple principle can change everything for you in your life and business if you implement it. Here’s the principle…
The Pareto Principle (also known as the 80/20 rule) is the observation that most things in life are not distributed equally. Based on this principle, it has been observed that roughly 80% of consequences, or outcomes, come from 20% of causes, or actions. This concept is important to understand because it can help you identify which initiatives to prioritize so you can make the most impact.
Let’s break this down further for better understanding:
The 80/20 rule is not a formal mathematical equation, but more a generalized phenomenon that can be observed in economics, business, time management, and even sports.
High level examples of the Pareto principle:
- 20% of a plant contains 80% of the fruit
- 80% of a company’s profits come from 20% of customers
- 20% of players result in 80% of points scored
- 20% of workers contribute to 80% of results
Real life example of the Pareto’s principle:
I own 28 pairs of shoes and often grab only the top 20% that I love
Here in Miami Beach, there are many routes I can walk to get to one place, but I only walk on 20% of the available routes.
On my smartphone, I have 48 different mobile apps organized in tiles on my home screen, but 80% of the time I’m only using the eight on my home screen (which is about 20%).
By now I think you get it. Now, how to implement this so that it can be a catalyst to next level growth and success in your life and business….
First, let me share with you why this is so simple yet so hard to implement.
The implementation I am referring to applies to where you are focusing your efforts to maximize your output. Because, as the principle reveals, 80% of our outcomes come from only 20% of our most important actions. So why wouldn’t we do only those actions that make up our 20% every day?
This is difficult for most people because…
Your current level of success is keeping you from your next level of success.
As humans we are conditioned for routine and comfort, not challenge and disruption. Even though we tell ourselves we want to work on the big needle moving project, we somehow get stuck in the busyness of everyday life and business that include things like, email, planning, organizing, and consuming other people’s content.
If you want to begin to use the Pareto Principle to your advantage, here’s how you can get started:
1. Identify your 20%: Identify the tasks and activities that contribute most significantly to your success. This could involve reviewing past performance, your energetic capacity while doing certain activities (AKA how you feel), customer feedback, and financial data to pinpoint the activities with the highest impact.
2. Plan and prioritize: Once you’ve identified the key activities, prioritize them based on their potential impact on your business goals. Focus on activities that align most closely with your objectives and have the highest potential for delivering results. Also, identifying the activities that you will no longer be doing is extremely helpful as well. This way you can delegate and make a list for yourself because we are human, our mind will try to get us to do “what we’ve always done.” I keep this list of “NOT to-do’s” near my desk and review it daily. My current 20% consists of only two things: creating or connecting. If it does not meet those two standards, I delegate or simply do not do the task.
3. Evaluate your 20% each month: Continuously monitor and evaluate your progress to ensure that you’re focusing on the right activities and achieving the desired results. Regularly review your priorities and adjust your approach as needed to stay aligned with your dreams and goals.
The biggest advantage of using the Pareto Principle is that you can create the maximum amount of impact with the least amount of work. Less burnout, more team clarity, increased strategic focus, enhanced daily productivity and personal fulfillment!
Lastly, give yourself some grace when implementing this principle in your life – it takes time, effort and adjustment. But, when you get it, you get it and results will begin to happen quickly!
