The Pareto Principle: 80/20 Rule
Many productivity gurus talk about ‘being effective vs being efficient.’
Being efficient is ‘getting things done’ whereas being effective is ‘getting the right things done’.
Clearly in this life, we don’t want to be wasting our time doing things that doesn’t make sense, or that doesn’t add any value to our life - therefore direction and prioritization are key. In my search for effective prioritization, I came across the Pareto Principle.
What is the Pareto Principle?
Sometime in the late 1800s—nobody is quite sure exactly when—a man named Vilfredo Pareto was fussing about in his garden when he made a small but interesting discovery.
Pareto noticed that a tiny number of pea pods in his garden produced the majority of the peas.
Now, Pareto was a very mathematical fellow….and the peas in his garden had set his mathematical brain in motion. What if this unequal distribution was present in other areas of life as well?
As he continued researching, Pareto found that the numbers were never quite the same, but the trend was remarkably consistent.
This idea that a small number of things account for the majority of the results became known as the Pareto Principle or, more commonly, the 80/20 Rule.
- James Clear
How can the Pareto Principle help you?
The principle teaches you how to live life more intentionally. It helps you sort out the clutter in your life and in turn allows you to focus on what truly matters.
Since 80% of results come from 20% of effort - we definitely want to make best use of our time and effort and ‘choose’ the right 20% to invest in.
How I’ve applied the 80/20 rule in my life
Clothes:
We wear 20% of the clothes we own 80% of the time. This applies to shoes, clothes, watches, accessories… I thought long and hard about it, and actually opened my closet to prove the theory wrong - true enough, there were many pieces of clothing I was not wearing on a consistent basis. I have since then done some serious Marie-Kondoing and donated / sold more than half my clothes and shoes away.
Now when I open my closet, it’s a much simpler choice, and I don’t feel overwhelmed by my choices anymore. Infact - the reason why people like Steve Jobs & Mark Zuckerberg wear the same damn thing all the time, is to ensure that their brain doesn’t have to waste extra time making such decisions. While I’m not on that extreme end of things, I do start to understand and appreciate why the rationale for their choice. It really frees up your brain space to think about other important things!
Diet:
One of the more popular approaches to a sustainable dieting is the 80/20 diet. It allows you to enjoy your favourite foods 20% of the week, while eating whole, nutrient dense foods 80% of the time.
This method works because doesn’t allow you to be SUPER deprived of the foods you want. I’m sure you’ve come across this - the more you deprive yourself of it, the more you will want it - and when you’ve been deprived of your favourite food for SO long, and you finally get your hands on it, there’s no surprise that you end up binging / overeating your favourite food! After all, you’ve waited all week for it right?! I know, because I’ve been there. I ended up feeling guilty and overstuffed, and eventually went back into the ‘clean eating cycle’, only to repeat this the next weekend.
Having the right balance and moderation always helps, and it will help keep your binging tendencies in check. The 80/20 diet helps bring this balance.
Relationships:
As you grow older in life, you realize that your social circle gets smaller and smaller, and you’re left with a few good friends whom you get along with and can trust - that’s because you know they’ve got your back no matter what, and they love you for you. They’re also the friends who will call you out when needed, who will be supportive of you and your values. These people also constantly push you to be the best version of yourself (and that’s what you want, seriously)!
Realize that you’re not going to be compatible with every person you meet, so why bother wasting your time with these ‘friendships’ that will go nowhere?
That’s the Pareto Principle at work. Direct your focus to the 20% of your relationships, and I promise you’ll get 80% more meaning and happiness!
Life:
Continue doing the 20% of the things you love, and that’ll bring joy, satisfaction and fulfillment. Cut back on the rest of the things that don’t matter. Remember, we only have one short life, so do what makes you happy!
A few of my hobbies (television shows and video games) accounted for 80% of my time, but only brought me 20% of my fulfillment.
I didn’t enjoy a few of my friends who I spent 80% of my time with (hence I was not happy in my social life).
80% of what I spent my money on was not useful or healthy for my lifestyle.
- Mark Manson
The Pareto Principle is an interesting phenomenon you see everywhere. It shows up in other areas like sports, business, economics etc (click this link for more examples - it’s seriously crazy how it shows up in so many areas of life) - but for me, it’s a really good rule of thumb I follow in every aspect of my life to ensure that I live life intentionally, with purpose and direction.
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Resources
The 1 Percent Rule: Why a Few People Get Most of the Rewards - James Clear (Article| 3 min read)
When the 80/20 Rule Fails: The Downside of Being Effective - James Clear (Article| 3 min read)
Pareto Principle—All You Need to Know About the 80/20 Rule - Maciej Duszyński, CPRW (Article| 8 min read)
How to 80/20 your life - Mark Manson (Article | 4 min read)
