let's focus on an intriguing approach that can enhance clarity, productivity, and elevate any area of your life that you wish to improve on. This method is not a revolutionary new scientific breakthrough, but a century’s old principle that still has a lot of relevancy to our everyday lives. As always, this method is completely free and available to anyone.
The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, states that roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. This means that a small percentage of input or effort often leads to a large percentage of the output or results. The idea of the Pareto Principle was first applied to quality control and improvement by Joseph M. Juran, a management consultant. He discovered this concept after reading the works of Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian economist and sociologist who taught at the University of Lausanne and wrote extensively about the 80/20 connection. If this sounds as confusing for you as it did for me initially, these examples should help:
In a business, 80% of the revenue may come from just 20% of the customers. Or, 80% of the sales may come from just 20% of the products. In your personal life, you may find that 80% of your happiness comes from just 20% of your activities, or that 80% of your outfits come from just 20% of your clothing.
Understanding the Pareto Principle can help you focus your efforts on the most important areas, prioritize your time and resources, and maximize your results with less input.
Applying the Pareto Principle to everyday life involves identifying the few essential things that lead to the most significant impact and focusing your efforts on those. Oftentimes when we feel anxious or stressed out, it is hardly the result of one thing, but rather the compounding or “snowballing” of stressors/distractions that throw us off our game.
Here are some ways to apply the principle:
Identify the 20% of your activities that give you 80% of your happiness: Think about the activities that make you feel most fulfilled and happy. Then, prioritize these activities and spend more time doing them.
Prioritize your to-do list: Make a list of your daily tasks and identify the 20% of the tasks that will have the most significant impact on your goals. Then, focus your time and energy on those.
Focus on the 20% of your relationships that matter: Identify the people who are most important to you and invest your time and energy in those relationships.
Declutter your space: Identify the 20% of your possessions that you use or enjoy the most and let go of the rest.
By applying the Pareto Principle, you can simplify your life, reduce stress, and achieve greater results with less effort.
I hope you find this principle helpful and relevant, and you can benefit from its application. Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter. Even just clicking on this email means everything to me. If you think that this advice may help a friend or loved one, please forward or share it! See you next week.