I am sure you have heard of Pareto’s Principle. It is also known as the 80-20 rule. From Pareto’s observation, he found out that 80% of all his peas were produced by only 20% of the pods.
Essentially, it suggests the concept that 80% of an activity’s output is generated by 20% of the input. The reverse is also proposed where the remaining 20% of the output requires a whole 80% of the input.
This idea connects to the philosophy of Essentialism which advocates that “Less is more”. As our human resources (time, energy and mental capacity) are limited, it would be more effective for us to increase our overall productivity by choosing which activities truly matter.
This also means that we need to learn to reject and say “No” to 80% of input activities that only product 20% of the output. By wisely selecting the ‘essential’ inputs, we would be able to conserve our energy and increase out productivity levels.
To be effective, is to utilise wisdom in action.
Ruiz