The 80/20 rule of time management

Headnote

This technique teaches you to focus on what's really important in your life and your life's work.

CME covered in FPM Quiz

This may come as a surprise, but despite all the talk about life balance, you can benefit tremendously from introducing a little imbalance into your day. I'm referring to the 80/20 rule of time management, which is rooted in what is known as the Pareto Principle.

Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian economist, "discovered" this principle in 1897 when he observed that 80 percent of the land in England (and every country he subsequently studied) was owned by 20 percent of the population. Pareto's theory of predictable imbalance has since been applied to almost every aspect of modern life. Given a chance, it can make a difference in yours.

Recognizing your 20 percent Simply put, the 80/20 rule states than the relationship between input and output is rarely, if ever, balanced. When applied to work, it means that approximately 20 percent of your efforts produce 80 percent of the results. Learning to recognize and then focus on that 20 percent is the key...