The 80/20 Rule

The 80/20 rule has the ability to transform your life. So read up and pay close attention!


Background
The 80/20 principle was originally crafted by an Italian economist named Vilfredo Pareto. Mr. Pareto came to the realization  that 80% of income in Italy was obtained by 20% of the Italian population. This data suggested that most of the results in any situation are ultimately determined by a small number of causes. 


What Is The 80/20 Rule? 
Simply put the principle states that 80% of your outcomes are a result of your 20% inputs. Now the numbers that Pareto suggested may be a little off, however the main principle still holds truth. The numbers really don't matter, the vital thing to understand is that there are certain activities you do (20%) that are responsible for the vast majority of your happiness and outputs(80%).  


Example Of The 80/20 Rule
Tasks that you have to get done at work. You might create a to-do list. Your to-do list states that you have  about ten items on it. However, only two of the ten items are considered to be in the high priority category. As a result, you focus on those two high priority tasks because they will have the most impact on your project. So you prioritize and focus on those two tasks  first and save the rest for later.


Lesson
The lesson is very simple and is targeted around focusing on activities that produce the most favorable outcomes for you. Don't waste your time on activities that don't do much for you. Instead focus on the activities that you are passionate about and ones that produce results. If you follow the 80/20 rule I can almost guarantee that you will become a lot more productive!