Pareto Principle

What is the pareto analysis of time management?

The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, is a concept that many have adopted for their life and time management1. It is the idea that 20% of the effort, or input, leads to 80% of the results or output1. The point of this principle is to recognize that most things in life are not distributed evenly1.

In the context of time management, the Pareto Principle can help you choose 20% of the inputs that’ll reap 80% of your key results2. Here are some examples of the Pareto Principle:

• 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients2.

• 80% of your wealth results from 20% of your investment2.

So if you can find that magical 20%, you can save time and work faster with enhanced productivity2. But how do you find the super productive 20 percent of your tasks? Here are two ways to identify the powerful 20% that’ll give you a better result:

1. Rethink your to-do lists: Usually, your to-do list would also contain unimportant tasks like checking emails. But a Pareto optimized to-do list will only have the most important 20% of your tasks2.

2. Prioritize your task list according to the Pareto Principle: First, prioritize your to-do list with the Eisenhower Principle or the Getting Things Done method. Then score these tasks from 1-10, with 1 needing the least effort. Score these tasks again from 1-10 according to their potential results. Here, 10 would be the most impactful activity. Finally, divide each task by their score for effort and potential results. Tasks with the lowest score will rank first in your new list2.

By identifying your productivity peaks and applying the Pareto Principle, you can use your time in an optimal way and optimize your results3. If you can figure out which 20% of your actions are producing 80% of your results, you can magnify your results3. After identifying the most productive actions, you can devote more of your time to them3.