How To Take Advantage Of The 80/20 Rule

If you are like most knowledge workers, you might be familiar with the 80/20 rule or the Pareto Principle which states that the 80% of the effects come from the 20% of causes. This means that 80% of your output is produced by 20% of your input. If you apply the same principle to  why you are lagging from your productivity goals, 80% of your woes can be attributed to the 20% of your activities. The key is to find which 20% is this.

80% of your output is produced by 20% of your input

80% of Your Output Comes From 20% of Your Input

The average number of hours we spend at the office is 8 hours. 80% of our output on any single day is produced by 20% of our effort in that whole 8 hours. If the Pareto Principle holds true, then majority of our daily output basically comes from less than 2 hours of our whole effort in that 8-hour period. They key to productivity, then, is to identify the 2 hours window you are producing the most. If you solidly focus on working on those 2 hours, chances are you can produce 80% of your required daily output.

Set Your No-Fly Zone

If you are working from 9AM to 5PM, set aside those 2 hours in which no other activities  can intervene in your work. You need to arrange everything in advance. If you think most office collaborations not related to your tasks are scheduled in the morning until about noon, then that is not probably the best time to set your no-fly zone.

Appoint Your Off-Limit Hours

Some surveys say that the most effective time to call (marketing call, that is) is 10AM. Most emails come around this time. This is also the best time to have a coffee break. If you think that you are most effective at around this time, then you have to find a way to adjust. The key here is to make your officemates respect your off-limits hours.

Learn When To Say Yes and When To Say No

Your ability to say yes or no on certain things can really make a difference in the context of the 80/20 rule. You can only accommodate so much. Once you set your no-fly zone or appointed your off-limits hours, people will have the idea when they can approach you. Saying ‘no’ is a virtue when it comes to Pareto Principle.

What do you think is the best way to leverage the 80/20 rule to achieve your productivity goals? Do you have any examples that can prove the principle? Have you taken advantage of it yet? Read the The 80/20 Individual: How to Build on the 20% of What You do Best to have a solid idea about the 80/20 rule.

 by Marlon Ribunal.