Why Peak Performers All Embrace the 80/20 Rule

Achieve More with Less

It’s been three hours since you turned away from your computer screen. Your head has perked up, your eyes have reset and you’ve snapped back into reality. All of a sudden you notice your legs are hot. Wait, they’re a bit too hot. Your laptop stirs and whirs. The fan is panicking, shouting at you to stop. It, just like you, needed a break. It’s a chance to take a load off. Time to close some tabs.

If you use a computer for an extended period without closing any tabs, chances are it will overheat and potentially break. While we are not computers — not yet, anyway — a similar principle isn’t entirely out of the question. The more you put on your plate, the fuller you’ll feel. The more you over fill yourself, the harder it gets to move quickly and efficiently. Instead of moving through air, you’re moving through custard. Basically, things get more difficult.

In comes the 80/20 rule, otherwise known as the Pareto principle. In 1895, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto found that 20% of Italy’s population owned 80% of the country’s wealth. On the face of it, Pareto’s findings have little to nothing to do with self-improvement. However, as is often the case in human being’s quest for greater achievement and prosperity, Pareto’s findings have been funnelled through the lens of personal…