The rule that rocks!
This is the rule that will get you the results that you want with minimum effort…
The benefits are that you won’t need to spin your wheels hours and hours to get the outcomes that you’re looking for!
Consequences? You’ll have more time for the things that truly matter to you!!
Let me explain what this rule is and how it will rock your world!
What is the 80/20 rule?
Actually, this rule comes from the famous Italian Vilfredo Pareto. This is the reason why this rule is also known as the Pareto principle.
He was an economist and he basically showed that in economics, 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. No matter the model, it will always work this way! 🙂
Actually, there could be a few differences, for instance: 79% and 21% or 81% and 19%, but in general, this law works for everything!
So, it was proven that it works for any industry or business, and actually, it works for everything in life! I mean, let’s not say everything everything 😉 but think about it for yourself and your life.
Do you have examples that show that 80% of your efforts bring you 20% of your results?
Let me show you a few examples…
Examples of the 80/20 rule…
Natalie Bacon says that:
- “80% of your relational happiness comes from 20% of your relationships”.
She’s right!! When you think about it, when you spend time with people, you know that 20% of them bring you 80% of your happiness! Can you name the few people that truly make you happy?! - “80% of your weight loss comes from 20% of your exercise”.
If your goal is to lose weight, keep in mind what is it that you’re doing at the gym that is truly helping you to lose weight.
Dan Silvestre says that:
- “80% of the time spent on the phone was useless. I proceed to delete all social media and useless apps from it.”
This also makes a lot of sense!! The moment I read this, I thought about the way I’m using my phone and any social media channels… - “I use the same clothes over and over again: I use 20% of my wardrobe 80% of the time.”
This made me think about myself!! I truly use only 20% of my wardrobe and 80% is then using space for nothing… It definitely works for everything 🙂 - “I truly read 20% of the blogs and newsletter that I subscribed to. Proceed to delete the remaining 80% (…)”.
Are you maybe thinking the same? How is your mailbox? I used to have tons of unread emails… It used to drive me crazy so I unsubscribed to many newsletters and blogs that were actually interesting, but I wasn’t reading them so… Why?!
MY examples of the 80/20 rule…
- “20% of the time that I’m productive used to bring me 80% of the results”.
So… What was I doing the rest of the time?! Good question!! I really thought A LOT about this and decided to organize better my time and the tasks that need to be done! Now, I’m not saying anymore that I’m working “hard”, I’m working “smart”, I know in what direction I’m going and when I’ll be done, I’m way more focused.
- “20% of the TV shows that I watch are bringing me 80% of my “tv show happiness”.
I realized this and then I said to myself, why should I continue watching a TV show that I don’t like?! Also, there is a slight feeling of guilt when you watch TV shows (because it’s common to hear that you’re losing your time!) so… I’ve decided to stop (even in the middle of a season, yes!) if I don’t enjoy 100% a TV show, my time is too precious 😉
- “In some self-help books that I’ve read, 20% of the content is repeating itself on 80% of the book”.
I truly think that sometimes, the way some self-help books are being written could be cut and organized differently to save us some time! Let’s face it, you can read so many pages that could be resumed in one single page!!
How can it change your life?
Basically, knowing that 20% of your efforts are bringing 80% of your results will help you focus more on what you’re doing and how you’re doing it to get the results that you want!
I like how S.J. Scott from Develop Good Habits wrote that “The key lesson of the Pareto Principle is to be constantly intentional with how and where you spend your time”.
So, you don’t need to spend so much time doing the things that aren’t getting closer to the results you want in your life. You need to discover this 20%, what is it?!
But first, of course, you need to know what results you want and what makes you happy in life 🙂 This is why I always say that knowing yourself is the first step towards happiness.
How can you be happy if you don’t know what truly makes you happy?!
In what area of your life can you use it?
This is the magic of it: you can use it in every area of your life 🙂 it’s really working for everything!
When it comes to your goals or your habits, Natalie Bacon talks about “8 main life categories” that are:
- Relationships
- Career
- Finance
- Health
- Personal development
- Environment
- Fun
- Volunteering
So, you can basically use the 80/20 rule in all of these areas 🙂
Look at all of them and think about the ones that you would like to make a change, that you’re not 100% happy with the results that you’re getting… You have it? Then move on to the next part 🙂
How you can use the 80/20 rule!
Since you now know that 20% of your efforts bring 80% of your results, you need to change what is it that you’re doing to get you the results that you want.
Let’s do it step by step!
- Think about what area of your life you want to bring a change (feel better, happier) and think about the results that you are getting.
Example for me: I want to eat healthier. - Ask yourself: what results are you getting and what do you want instead?
Example for me: I don’t feel very healthy… Instead of feeling this way, I truly want to feel better. - What are you doing that is helping you to get the results that you want (feel healthier)? Basically, these things are the 20%…
Example for me: Since I want to feel healthier, the things that I’m doing (the 20%) are eating a bit less, having fewer sweets, sleep more, and walk a bit every day.
- Organize a bit, create a plan on how to continue doing it regularly, and only this?
Example for me: I will really eat healthier, have fewer sweets, sleep more and walk a minimum of 30 minutes a day.
Very important!!
You need of course to know what are your 20%! What is it that you do that is bringing you the results that you want, this is the first step of course.
Also, it’s important to do it very quickly I mean, you need to be productive and committed. When you decide to eat fewer sweets per week (considering my example), I will really eat fewer sweets which means 5 per week for example. I need to stick to the plan and for the long term (at least a few months to see results!).
Try with another area of your life!
The 80/20 rule for your personal development journey…
S.J. Scott from Develop Good Habits is sharing some amazing questions to ask yourself and to use the 80/20 rule for your personal development journey:
- What bad habits are causing me the most unhappiness (e.g., scrolling through Facebook and getting worked up by a headline)?
- What tasks are causing 80% of my problems and unhappiness?
- What experiences produce 80% of my fulfillment and happiness?
- What do I do daily that makes me happy? How can I do more of it?
- What causes the most stress in my life? How can I do less of it?
- What small daily habits can I add to increase my level of happiness (e.g., meditation, getting outdoors, calling a friend, etc.)?
Ask yourself these questions and discover how to minimize doing things that don’t make you happy and obviously, how you can maximize the ones that make you happy the most…!
Build your confidence with the 80-20 rule
Of course, you can use the 80-20 rule for building your self-confidence!
Remember that 20% of your efforts bring you 80% of your results.
To get that 20%, you have to take many actions!
This is why it’s essential to take action even when we’re afraid that it won’t be perfect or good enough.
Because of that reason, we are afraid of taking even just one action!
But it really doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be! 🙂
And when you take action, you’re showing to yourself that you can do it, even if/when it’s not perfect!
This is how you can use the 80/20% rule to build your confidence.
To sum up!
As you can see, this rule can simply ROCK YOUR WORLD!
You can use it for everything in your life, you’ll have more control of everything, you’ll feel better and since it’s saving you time and energy, you can do more of what really makes you happy!
All of this… While boosting your self-confidence… What else can you ask for more?!
