Blueprint >> 80/20 Rule

Disclaimer: This document is in raw form as I process and distill 4 years-worth of my personal development notes. Expect some typos and cryptic language for now. I will be updating frequently and polishing up.

Prescription: Understand the 80/20 rule. Apply the 80/20 rule in you career, business, and life.
Related Concepts: Block Time

What is 80/20 Rule?

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Why is it Important?

We are all busy doing the wrong things. Stop wasting time on activities that aren't actually making you happier or more successful. The 80/20 rule is the ultimate time-management technique, reducing feelings of stress and overwhelm.

80/20 Rule Videos

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80/20 Rule: Key Points

It's a rule of thumb in nature that 80% of the results comes from 20% of the effort. The other 80% of the effort is only producing 20% of the results. This is true in business, your work life, your relationship, your gym routine, your diet, you parenting — everything. Unless you've gone through a done an 80/20 analysis of your life, you are wasting a ton of time and energy doing things that are not effective.

Pick an area of your life and go through it, asking the question: Which 20% of my effort is producing 80% of the results? Once you find it, do more of that and less of the stuff that's ineffective.

Learn to apply it to all parts of your life. Eliminate all the shit you do that isn't core to your purpose in life.

It's a great relief that I don't have to complete everything I come up with. Comprehensiveness is not an effective way to get things done because then 80% of what you are implementing is only producing 20% of the results, wasting time and energy. I don't have to beat myself up over not doing everything as long as I do the high-impact stuff.

Buying a MacBook Air was a really great idea. I thought it might just be an impulse buy because it was just a gadget, but it moving all of my notes to it turned out to have huge benefit. Seeing the power of this single decision now I have the urge to double down and buy an even better MacBook Air, with more hard drive space, more RAM, and faster CPU. But will that upgrade get me meaningful results? Perhaps hard drive space will as I run out, but I really don't have an issue with RAM or CPU. The limiting factor right now is how much time and effort I put into taking notes, not my PC's performance. Acting on this poses two problems: 1) money could be invested more effectively, 2) deluding myself into thinking this is an improvement, 3) time and energy will be spent purchasing and upgrading.

References

1. Mind Control, Wyatt Woodsmall
2. Advanced Learning and Teaching Technologies, Wyatt Woodsmall
3. The 80/20 Principle, Richard Koch