Everyone’s heard about the 80/20 rule, sometimes called Pareto’s law. But many people approach it in a stressful, almost counterproductive way.
Pareto was an Italian economist who noticed, while surveying land ownership in Italy, that almost 80% of the land was owned by just 20% of the population. The other 80% of the people shared ownership of just 20% of the land.
Since then the same ratio has been observed and discussed repeatedly in many different ways.
People in customer service observe that 20% of the customers account for 80% of the complaints. For many businesses, 20% of the products bring in 80% of the revenue. These are called the best sellers.
Even musicians know that after years of recording hundreds of songs, about 20% of them become the “greatest hits”. The other 80% are far less memorable. Except of course to the hardcore fans, who (no surprise) make up only about 20% of the artist’s following.
The concept is perhaps most popular in fields like personal productivity, time management, and efficiency planning. But many people get fixated on finding and focusing on the 20%. We spend a lot of energy and effort trying to define and focus on the most important things, setting priorities, objectives and defining KPIs and high value targets.
All that of course, is very good, yet sometimes, considering the 80% could be just as rewarding.
Clarity Through Elimination
I’ve spent two decades coaching and training individuals and organizations on improving their time management and personal productivity. What I’ve realized is that most people don’t need more brute force focus. They need to eliminate the less important stuff and let the focus happen naturally.
Many of us have activities or acquaintances cluttering our lives and clouding our judgment, making it harder for us to plan and live our lives the way we really want.
Flipping the 80/20 Rule on its Head
Instead of stressing out trying to identify, define, target and focus on the 20%, we can step back and look at the big picture. Take the time to notice and walk away from the 80%. The more you identify and eliminate (or minimize) the 80%, the more naturally you’ll build the life you want. This approach can be less of a struggle and more of a natural state of flow.
If you have no distractions it’s easy to focus. If nothing is clouding your judgment, naturally, you will see more clearly.
Don’t force yourself to do more of what matters, but rather, less of what doesn’t really matter.
What I am proposing to you today is to give some thought to the areas of clutter that form the far less valuable 80% of your life. To give yourself permission to eliminate that clutter and let go of unnecessary things that steal your attention and drain your. energy.
Let’s start with the social side of life.
We’ve all been caught up in trying to keep up with the Joneses. We’ve all accepted party invitations that we didn’t really feel like going to. We all have a few so-called friends who only show up when they need something but seem to have a good reason to disappear whenever we might need something from them.
I’m not encouraging you to be antisocial, just to evaluate your social circle more pragmatically.
This has never been more important than today, in the age of social media. We might have hundreds, perhaps thousands, of so-called friends on multiple social platforms. Very few of those scores of people truly know us. Wouldn’t it be far more fruitful if we focused on the 20% who really mattered and started deliberately and tactfully stepping outside the 80% crowd?
Give Yourself Permission to Let Go
So, let’s say you have 100 people you call friends. If you were to apply the Pareto rule, you might notice that 80% of those people are really just acquaintances, and the top 20% are the actual friends.
Even among the top 20%—probably three or four—blur the line between friendship and family. Those are the top 20% of the 20%.
Instead of trying to keep up with a hundred people, it would be indescribably valuable to identify those three or four people who have been with you throughout your life and who might remain with you throughout the rest of your life and nourisher your relationship with them.
Decluttering Your Surroundings and Schedule
Just like our social circles, our physical surroundings can become cluttered with items that no longer serve a purpose. Think about your home or workspace. Are there items taking up space and collecting dust that you rarely use or need? I’ve got truck loads of cables and computer peripherals from the 90s onwards and I’m on a mission to get them out of my life.
Applying the 80/20 rule here usually means identifying the 20% of items you use and cherish. Or it could mean regularly assessing the items that just clutter your life and letting go of them. Gifting them or donating them perhaps?
Similarly, our schedules can become overwhelmed with activities that drain our time and energy without offering much value. Some of these activities may be born out of habit. We can try to squeeze in more commitments or we can simply let go of the less valuable commitments.
Letting Go is a Healing Process
The 80/20 rule is not just a principle for business efficiency; it can be a powerful tool for personal growth and development. But too many people view it like a competitive sport.
Too many productivity experts talk about defining our priorities and spending all our time chasing them. This often turns life into a win or loose game. A stress inducing game full of guilt and shame, because sometimes, we can’t get anymore done.
A master sculpture spends 80% of his or her time chiseling away at the unnecessary, to reveal a masterpiece. A gardener doesn’t just plant roses, they take the time to pull out all the weeds.
In the same sense, taking the time to remove the distractions and the clutter, whether it’s people, activities or objects can yield fantastic results, with far less stress.
It can unburden you, even heal you and most definitely help you focus and achieve, in a far more natural and enjoyable way.
Final Thought
Focusing on the 20% that holds true value, is often easier said than done.I believe the solution is starting with eliminating the 80%. I mean, it’s not called the twenty-eighty rule, is it?
So when it comes to your personal development, I recommend you follow the 80/20 rule, in that order.
