Increase your productivity with the 80-20 rule

Just a short post this time — mainly to introduce you to something that really blew my mind the other day — the 80-20 rule.

I’ve been reading a book called The One Thing to help with my productivity, which is where I first heard about the 80-20 rule (or Pareto’s Principle).

It’s basically a rule that was discovered by economist, Vilfredo Pareto back in 1896, that explains why only 20% of the effort you put into something produces 80% of your outcome.

I’ve found a short Youtube video that explains it far better than me. It’s only a few minutes long, but it should give you some of an idea. It focuses more on wealth distribution, but the same principle can be applied to business and also how you approach new projects.

Goodbye long to do lists and multitasking

Considering this rule was discovered well over 100 years ago, I’m shocked that I didn’t know about it until now. I’ve been writing lengthy to do lists for years and feeling really good and productive when I tick stuff off. I’ve been living in a list delusion.

I’m only at the beginning of The One Thing, but right from the start, author Gary Keller, explains that when you’re starting any project you can always figure out what the one thing is that will lead to the success of that project. You can then also see which things will hold you back. 

When I reflect on my own site, although I’ve enjoyed the whole process, the principle works. I don’t like to think that I wasted loads of time and effort, but I can certainly see what has been most productive. 

Certainly in future projects, I’ll be starting with my usual to do list and crossing things off before I’ve done them until I’m left with the one thing that will hopefully lead to greater success in whatever it is I’m doing.