Shine With Grace

Have you heard of the 80/20 Rule? 

Come to think about it, do you notice that, on average:

• 20% of the customers contribute to 80% sales
• 20% of the book titles account for 80% book sold
• 20% of the stars get 80% of the attention of the media 
• 20% of the students score 80% of the “A” grades
• 20% of your clothes are worn 80% of your time
• 20% of the names in your phonebook get 80% of your calls
• 20% of the drivers cause 80% of the accidents
• 20% of the population holds 80% of the wealth

Pretty true, right?  So, what has the 80/20 Rule to do with us?  What has it do with our happiness and efficiency?

Things that matter most

Must never be at the mercy of things that matter least.

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

In very simply terms, due to the profound imbalance between effort and reward, we could improve our effectiveness/happiness extensively if we:

• work out what you want from life 
• find the right things to achieve 
• in every important sphere, work out which 20% of effort contribute to the 80% returns  
• FOCUS on what matters, what works, what we are best doing, what we enjoy most and what makes us happy
• do NOT waste time in unproductive decisions / tasks / investments / products / projects / people / relationships
• specialise in a very small niche, rather than average performance in many
• develop habits that are most rewarding
• delegate and outsource as much as possible
• BE SELECTIVE, WORK LESS TO ACHIEVE MORE

It is a funny thing about life

If you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it. 

~ W. Somerset Maugham

 Remember:

• life is too short 
• we only have so much time  
• 80% of our happiness and achievement take place in 20% of our time
• a few people, decisions and events affects profoundly our lives    

Therefore, we have to say no to the good (not to mention the average), in order to say yes to the best.

The 80/20 Principle is also called the Pareto Law.  Richard Koch has summarised the concept in his series of books including The 80/20 Principle.   

BTW, the Long Tail theory which focuses on internet marketing, is an inverted application of the 80/20 principle. 

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