The 80/20 rule

I resign from the 100% hardworking rule. Hitching my wagon to the 80/20 rule instead.

a posteriori

/eɪ pɒˌstɛrɪˈɔːrʌɪ,ɑː pɒˌstɛrɪˈɔːriː/

adjective

relating to or denoting reasoning or knowledge which proceeds from observations or experiences to the deduction of probable causes.

polymath

/ˈpɒlɪmaθ/

noun

a person of wide knowledge or learning.

"a Renaissance polymath"

In 1941, Joseph M. Juran, a Romanian-born American engineer, came across the work of Italian polymath Vilfredo Pareto. Pareto noted that approximately 80% of Italy's land was owned by 20% of the population. Juran applied the observation that 80% of an issue is caused by 20% of the causes to quality issues. Later during his career, Juran preferred to describe this as "the vital few and the useful many" to highlight that the contribution of the remaining 80% should not be discarded entirely.

The Pareto principle (also known as the 80/20 rule, the law of the vital few and the principle of factor sparsity, states that for many outcomes, roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes (the "vital few").

What Is the 80/20 Rule? A Guide to Saving Time and Money ...

The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, states that approximately 80% of outcomes or results come from about 20% of the inputs or efforts. This principle suggests that a small percentage of your actions or efforts often yield a disproportionate amount of impact.

How it Works:

Focus on the Vital Few: Identify the 20% of your activities that contribute most to your overall results.

Prioritize High-Impact Tasks: Allocate more time and resources to these high-impact tasks.

Maximize Efficiency: By focusing on the vital few, you can achieve significant results with less effort.

Examples of the 80/20 Rule:

Business: 80% of a company's revenue may come from 20% of its customers.

Productivity: 20% of your daily tasks might be responsible for 80% of your progress.

Software Development: Fixing the top 20% of reported bugs could eliminate 80% of errors.

Diet: Following a healthy diet 80% of the time and indulging in less healthy foods 20% of the time.

Personal Life: 80% of your happiness might come from interactions with 20% of the people you know.

Key Takeaways:

The 80/20 rule is not a strict rule, but rather a general guideline.

It helps you identify and prioritize the most impactful activities or tasks.

By focusing on the vital few, you can achieve more with less effort and improve your overall efficiency.

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So to sum up that which has already been summed up.

The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, suggests that roughly 80% of outcomes come from 20% of efforts. In business, this might mean that 80% of profits come from 20% of customers, while in personal productivity, it could imply that 80% of your results stem from 20% of your tasks. By identifying and focusing on the most impactful areas, you can maximize efficiency and effectiveness.

Why does the 80/20 rule work so effectively?

The 80/20 rule works so well because it taps into natural imbalances found in many systems. It reflects how resources—whether time, effort, or money—are rarely distributed evenly in their impact. Several reasons make it effective:

Nonlinear Impact: Some inputs disproportionately affect outputs. For example, a few key customers might drive most of a business’s revenue.

Pattern Recognition: It helps people identify high-value tasks, relationships, or strategies that yield the most results.

Prioritization & Efficiency: By focusing on the vital 20%, people can optimize their work and avoid wasting time on less productive efforts.

It’s not a strict law, but rather a useful guideline for maximizing success with minimal effort. Have you noticed any areas in your life where this principle plays out?

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Some funny reasons to start using the 80/20 rule.

The 80/20 rule...is basically life's cheat code. Here are some delightfully absurd reasons to start using it:

Laundry Liberation – Why fold all your clothes when 20% of them are just sweatpants and hoodies? Let the other 80% live in the basket.

The Email Evasion – Only answer 20% of your emails. The other 80% will sort themselves out... or mysteriously disappear (we hope).

Dishwashing Minimalism – Use the same 20% of your dishes and avoid washing the other 80% entirely. Who really needs more than one plate?

Socializing Strategy – Invest in only 20% of your friendships. The most fun ones will provide 80% of the joy, while the others mostly just talk about the weather.

Exercise Efficiency – Only work out 20% of your body. Sculpted biceps? Sure. Everything else? Meh.

Dating Shortcut – Pick the top 20% of your best jokes and recycle them endlessly. Works about 80% of the time (maybe).

Snack Prioritization – Eat only the first 20% of your bag of chips. The rest is mostly air anyway.

Movie Watching Hack – Skip the slow parts! Only watch the 20% that has explosions, romance, or plot twists.

The 80/20 rule is the fine art of doing less but still feeling wildly productive. Ready to apply it to your life? 😉

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To follow the guidelines here. I used 80% of information already gathered by the learned narrators...and 20% of my ideas to write this article.

It works!

Also, I realize that when watching movies et al, these days...I have been using the 80/20 rule by scrolling past the porno, boredom and gore.

Yeah me.

Bye, bye 100%. Welcome 80/20.