Relentless Pursuit

The 80/20 Rule to Life

The Pareto Principle is known as the concept where, “80% of the output or results will come from 20% of the input or action”. This type of principle is well known within the business world as they have found that approximately 20% of the customers brought in roughly 80% of the sales. Pondering this idea, I started to think about how this is true within my own personal life and the reality of this statistic became true. Currently, I work at a cafe bagel shop which sells pastries, coffee, bagels, and other various breakfast goodies. Then, I started thinking through this idea, and it occurred to me that this must be true. Generally, we have a mass of returning customers, some every day or some every week. One in particular, his name is Ray, and he is an older gentleman who has come every morning I’ve worked at the shop since I started (roughly 500 shifts). If I calculate just the total of what he has bought each morning, that is around $1,800 per year just on breakfast, which is astounding. 

I bring up this anecdote because within our lives I believe we each have a tendency to put our money, energy, or time into different areas that we don’t even recognize and they end up adding up over time. Another way to think about this principle is, what are 20% of your possessions you get the most value out of? What do you spend 20% of your time doing that gives you 80% of your happiness? Or, what’s the 20% of food you eat 80% of the time? These different aspects of our lives are essential in the way we live and the habits that we endure. Reflecting on these questions helps us recognize that maybe some of the hobbies, food, people, time, or money we spend isn’t as necessary or as healthy as we thought. For me this looks like taking inventory on what is bringing me the most fulfillment and recognizing that whatever this may be, I end up putting my energy towards even if it’s unhealthy in some aspects. 

Within the work environment, this can look similar like for example, does 20% of the work that you do get recognized 80% of the time by your boss instead of you, yourself who actually did the work? This may be reflected through the efficiency that is replicated as an employee. Are there changes that you feel maybe you should make within your work environment to help you yield more results? Thinking through this model of change may be helpful in understanding where your time is being spent and how to use it more effectively.

Lastly, processing through how this principle can be applied relationally is important. What are the 20% of behaviors that cause 80% of the problems in your relationships? Taking a step back and recognizing patterns of behaviors that are displayed through social and emotional relationships are absolutely key in having healthy relationships in every sphere of life. All in all, I hope that this blog post was helpful for you in your journey of seeking out a healthier version of yourself for the future. 

Reference: 3 Ideas That Can Change Your Life – Mark Manson