How to Use the 80-20 Rules to Succeed in Life

in the productivity world has several hacks and tricks to help you manage your time. The amount of time management tactics go to performance strategy there is both amazing and stunning. Of course, in order to make things more difficult for people, many of these methods have been tried by various people who have stood on their... list of systems, Pomodoro, Parkinson's law... All of these strategies are excellent strategies in their own way, but one strategy stands above everyone else: 80 20 rule. Of many, this particular strategy has been used and is considered the most helpful in developing time management and other concepts in life. But what is so special about this rule? How will it give you success and how to use it? Let's explore the specifics.

What is the 80 20 rule?

Many people think of this rule as the 80-20 rule, but it has the correct name: Pareto principle. This principle was named after its founder, an Italian economist named Vilfredo Pareto in 1895. How it all began when Pareto noticed that people in society fall into two "categories":

  • On "vital", which consisted of 20 percent in regards to money and influence.
  • The "trivial set" is otherwise known as the bottom 80 percent.

As he researched this, he realized that this gap didn't just apply to money and influence, but other areas too. Virtually all economic activity was the subject of his previous remark. What be this observation: 80% of the wealth of Italy at that time was controlled by only 20 percent of the population. Since the development of this rule humanity is precisely through this attitude in any situation. Even if the ratio is not always accurate, we see this rule applied in many industries and in life. Examples:

  • 20% of sales reps will generate 80% of total sales.
  • 20% of customers account for 80% of total profits.
  • 80% of the income will come from 20% of the workers.
  • And so on…

In any case, I'm sure you can piece together why people call this the 80 20 rule the Pareto principle. In terms of how this rule will work for you, it's a matter of applying this rule to our lives, as I said. For us to see success, the goal is simple. You need to set it up in such a way that 20% of our contribution will give us 80% results. Another way to think about it is then place 20% of our time on events that give us 80% of our results in any area of ​​life.

Typically 80 20 work?

To better explain this, let's imagine a little. In an ideal world:

  • Every employee must contribute the same amount of effort to the job.
  • Every feature that has released an application or product will be equally loved by users.
  • Every business idea you come up with would become a hit.

In this case planning will be a breeze. You won't need to analyze anything for as long as you put in the effort. But this is not reality. Yes, the service is certainly an element, but what the 80 20 rule says is that everyone is equal. Invest in 10 startups and you'll find just a few will take two years to make it big. You're on a team of five and there will be one person doing more work than the other. We want our lives to always be one to one in terms of input and output, but this is simply not true. Understanding this is the key to understanding how the 80 20 rule really works. So how does it really work? You may ask, and it's pretty basic. This is an emphasis on the fact that your life is short of your time. Going back to a few examples I provided above, consider this one:

  • If the two startups you've invested in are making it big, focus on more direct hands and see if you can help them thrive more.
  • If 20% of your sales reps give you 80% of your sales, focus on rewarding those and keeping them morale and motivation.
Might be interesting:  How to Build New Habits with an Accountability Partner

These scenarios could go on and on, but the idea is to put the effort into the 20% that actually makes the difference in your life. Another term that is useful to know is diminishing marginal benefit. Pareto doesn't come up with this one, but the law says: each additional hour of effort or work will add less "charm" to your finished results. After all, you have reached the point where you will spend a lot of time on small and unimportant details. Such perfectionism. So before you hit the links, you want to have laser focus on the most important details. From family and relationships to your work or business. Prioritize activities that will move you forward on your own. And be careful when adding extra time, effort, or more hands on those specific tasks to move forward.

How to use the 80 20 rule

So now you have an understanding of the 80 20 rule and how it works, what is the best way to take advantage of it? Depending on where you are, applying these rules, this can be used on all types of clothing. For example, you can apply this rule to goal setting, as Brian Tracy showed in this video: Or you can apply it in terms of overall performance, as described in this article: What is the 80 20 rule (and how to use it to improve performance) The point of this rule is that it forces us to ask ourselves questions that we otherwise don't consider. It helps us place our focus in the right places in relation to all things in life. In short, the 80s 20 rules puts us in charge of our lives and helps us set our goals and dreams. With that in mind, here are some things you can consider regarding this rule. Here is what you can do to maximize the benefits of using the 80 20 rule:

1. Focus on your big tasks

Although this is the essence of the 80 20 rule, it is still worth mentioning. Why? Because many of us feel intimidated by big tasks. We instinctively avoid it and opt for small tasks. We think that if we build enough assignments that we feel motivated to complete that, that's a very big problem later on. But this is really false hope at work. After we finish a lot of small things, we also feel exhausted or we tell ourselves we will do it the next day. Instead of doing all this bite the bullet and solve big problems first. I affirm this by challenging you to ask yourself this question: "Is this task I'm going to do the top 20% of my activity or the bottom 80 percent?" I'm sure you've seen more than once you or other workers spend a lot of time on one task for most of the day. In this kind of grind, you barely get ahead and have almost nothing to show for it. This is because they put all their attention at work, which is 80 percent. Usually these are big tasks that are included in the 20 percent. Another way to think about it is that everything we do starts as a habit. If every day we spend our energy on unimportant tasks, we will always end up in the first place.

Might be interesting:  How to stop feeling guilty and move on from the past

2. Stretch it in your privacy

While I've talked about business and goal setting, remember that you can use this in other areas of your life as well. Take your privacy and ask yourself some of these questions:

  • How much TV do you watch on a regular basis? What shows are you legally in? These questions can help you understand what shows you are watching purely for consumption. By applying the 80-20 rule, you can cut back on Netflix, TV or YouTube video consumption, and prioritize other areas of your life.
  • What makes your closet look like in terms of color? Are there certain colors that you like? Knowing what you wear most of the time will help you sort out your wardrobe essentials. It also saves you time to figure out what to wear every morning.
  • How many newsletters did you actually read? This question can help you understand what mailing lists to unsubscribe from and clear up a lot of space in your inbox. It can also relieve the pressure of constantly checking email.
  • How much time do you spend on your phone every day? How long does it actually take to do something meaningful? These questions can help you clear various apps that aren't helping you with your goals. In fact, it can curb the need to constantly check your phone.

Final Thoughts

The 80th rule is the 20th performance hack that many of us need and for good reason. As you can tell, this will help you focus and prioritize the more important aspects of your life. Not only that, but it will make the most of these outlets at the same time and ensure that you don't spend too much time working on them. All you have to do is start asking questions and taking action.

More Methods to Help You Succeed in Life

  • 16 Productivity Secrets Of Successful People Revealed
  • How successful people think: 10 mindsets to develop
  • How to Focus and Increase Your Productivity (The Complete Guide)
Please appreciate the article
Translate »