If you are feeling overwhelmed by your daily activities and possessions, learn how to simplify your life with the 80/20 rule. This rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, can help you streamline your life and live like a minimalist without going overboard.
When I was in high school, I took a Student Council class.
It officially counted as a business course, but it was basically event planning with a few lectures dispersed in between them.
I remember planning our first event.
We had worked so hard for weeks to make it the best event possible, and we were excited for the day to come.
The day before the event, our teacher sat down with us and told us something I’ll never forget.
She told us, “Class, you have all worked very hard to make this a success, and now we have to talk about how we will know if it truly has been a success. I can tell you now that not everyone at school will attend.
If 20% of the student body shows up, we can consider it a great achievement.”
I remember being shocked by how small the percentage was that she was expecting.
Only 20%!? Why so small?
She went on to explain that this number comes from the Pareto Principle, and that it is widely understood in business that 20% of the effort results in 80% of the results.
She then told us that this extends past business and into every area of our lives.
20% of the clothes you own are worn 80% of the time.
20% of your cleaning tasks will clean 80% of your house.
20% of the student body in high school will attend 80% of the year’s school events.
The day I discovered this principle was a life-changing one for me.
Not only did it give me healthier expectations for events and projects, but it also helped me with time management and simple living.
Today, I want to share with you how to apply the 80/20 rule to your own life so that you can learn to prioritize the right things on a daily basis.
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How to Simplify Your Life with the 80/20 Rule Three Different Ways
What is the 80/20 Rule?
Also known as the Pareto Principle, this rule was introduced by a famous economist named Vilfredo Pareto.
He explained that there wasn’t a proper balance between input and output.
Pareto introduced his 80/20 rule, saying that 80% of consequences come from 20% of the causes.
Now, this principle was originally introduced to represent patterns in the economy, but many other people have since revealed the same findings in other areas of life, from sports to time management to groceries.
Though it is not always exactly 80/20, this ratio is a good general rule of thumb to go off of.
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How can the 80/20 Rule be Applied to Your Life?
The better question is ‘where CAN’T the 80/20 rule be applied to your life?’ because it can be used for basically everything.
Pretty much anything in your life that involves effort, time, or money can use this rule for efficiency and better priorities.
Simply being aware of this principle can already change so much, but I will be giving a few examples in these three areas so you can get a better idea of how exactly this principle can be applied to your life.
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How to save your effort, time, and money using the 80/20 Rule
The 80/20 Rule for Effort: 20% of effort brings 80% of the results
When you are working on a project, whether it is business or personal, this principle can be applied.
You can use your effort more effectively if you can figure out what tasks will make the greatest difference and which tasks really don’t matter that much.
Let’s take a look at a list of examples for this area:
- 20% of your to-do list is going to solve 80% of your problems
- 20% of your presentation tasks are going to complete 80% of your presentation
- 20% of what you say to your children will be remembered 80% of the time
- 20% of what you learn is going to be remembered 80% of the time
- 20% of your exercise routine is going to make 80% of the difference in your body
I could go on and on with examples, but these are some good ones to start with.
In all of these situations, you can see that 20% of what you do is going to make 80% of the difference.
This doesn’t mean that you can just stop doing the other 80%, but you can approach it with the recognition that it is not going to make a big difference in the end.
How will that change how you approach things?
You could do two things to help you out big time:
Life Application #1: Make 20% of your effort your biggest priority
If 20% of your effort is going to make such a big difference, you should start with that effort when possible.
Figure out which 20% of your effort is making the biggest difference and prioritize it. For example, working on a major project is probably a part of that 20%, so make sure it gets scheduled for the optimal work session and save the emails for a less crucial time.
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Life Application #2: Put your greatest care into that 20%
If you know that the other 80% won’t make that big of a difference, then why are you wasting all that energy and stress trying to do it perfectly?
The payout just isn’t worth it.
I remember in university, I used this rule to do my homework effectively.
In my history class, I knew that there was NO WAY I would have time to do all the readings, but using the 80/20 rule, I was able to get it all done on time without using all my energy.
I would simply skim the readings, searching for the most important points, then familiarize myself with those portions of the essays. It worked perfectly, and I saved myself a lot of unnecessary effort.
So before you stress over your tasks, consider if it’s worth the worry.
Is it the important 20%, or is it the 80% that could be more easily forgotten?
The 80/20 Rule for Time: 20% of your time brings 80% of the success in your work
This area can easily merge with Effort, but I wanted to keep it separate just to provide more examples.
More than just the effort you put into something, the time you invest falls under the 80/20 rule, as well:
- 20% of your time at work produces 80% of the results
- 20% of your time spent with friends will produce 80% of the bonding experience
- 20% of your free time will give you 80% of the rejuvenation you need
- 20% of time spent with your kids is going to make 80% of the difference
- 20% of your vacation time will be remembered 80% percent of the time
This rule can be used in conjunction with your effort to help with time management as a whole.
Take your job as an example.
20% of your day is going to make 80% of the difference.
You’re going to want to make sure that the 20% that matters is spent on your most important tasks.
So if you are crazy productive for the first two hours of work, but tend to slow down after that, you might not want to waste that prime time on meetings.
Instead, it would be better to choose to do your most important tasks at that time and save the meetings for later.
Morning routines are a good example of this.
That first 20% of our day can make such a big difference in how we perform during the other 80% of that day.
We have to choose the most crucial things to do at that time.
For me, that is eating well, stretching my body with yoga, and doing my devotions. Those three activities will affect how I perform all of my activities for the rest of the day.
When you know what your 20% is in regards to time and effort, you can manage your days more effectively.
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Life Application #1: If you feel like your schedule is getting overwhelming, cut down on the time you spend on something that isn’t a priority
Once you know what 20% of your time matters, you can start to readjust your schedule accordingly.
For example, you may realize that when you are cleaning, you spend one hour on things that make a big difference in your home and another two hours on things that won’t really make a huge difference in your life.
Knowing this, you can use those two hours for something you feel is a bigger priority and just keep the 20% of work that yields the greatest results.
Sure, the cleaning won’t be done as thoroughly but if you need the time for something more pressing, then it makes sense to sacrifice it for a while!
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Life Application #2: Figure out which 20% of the day is the most productive for you and schedule your most important tasks for that time
Back when I was teaching a Grade 1 classroom, the 80/20 rule was incredibly important for my scheduling decisions.
It was hard for my students to stay perfectly focused all day every day. The most important 20% of their day was in the morning about an hour after school starts.
I always scheduled their most important lessons at that time because otherwise, I was wasting my breath.
Likewise, they were pretty much useless every single Friday afternoon, so I would schedule our most relaxed creative projects for that time.
Or we would just play games.
The same rule applies as adults.
There are times in the day when you will be able to focus better and times when you simply can’t do more work.
By scheduling your most important tasks for your optimal focus time, you can get those tasks done so much faster and save yourself the frustration of trying to do it when you’re tired.
The 80/20 Rule for Money: 20% of your money brings 80% of the results
Considering this was originally introduced as an economic principle, it makes sense that this has an application for your finances.
Personally, this is my favourite area to apply the Pareto Principle because it really helped me place smarter priorities on the things I own.
If you are interested in minimalism or simple living, the 80/20 rule is a great one to apply to your life.
Here are some examples:
- 20% of your clothes are worn 80% of the time
- 20% of your books are read 80% of the time
- 20% of your pictures are looked at 80% of the time
- 20% of the house is used 80% of the time
- 20% of your groceries cost 80% of the bill
When I first set out to own less, the 80/20 rule really helped me to simplify my life.
It was really easy to look at my belongings and know which things I used 80% of the time.
From there, I basically got rid of the 80% that I only used 20% of the time.
One funny side effect of this principle, however, was that even after you get rid of 80% of your stuff, the 80/20 rule still applies.
Instead of wearing 20 of my 100 outfits 80% of the time, I just started wearing 2 of my 8 outfits 80% of the time.
I currently own two mugs, and I still know which one is my favoured mug.
You can change your life with the 80/20 rule when you learn to apply it to your belongings.
It can help you to spend more wisely, and it will reveal the things you truly value in your life versus the things you simply own.
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Life Application #1: Before you buy something new, consider whether you think it will become part of your 20%
When I was in high school, I used to buy things just because it was on sale.
Now when I go shopping, if I see something I like I consider whether I think it will become one of my favourite items or if it will just end up as one of the 80% of the things I never wear.
If I don’t think it stands a chance of becoming one of the 20% that I wear 80% of the time, then I simply won’t buy it.
It’s a great system to control your spending and to make sure that only the highest quality items make it into your house!
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Life Application #2: If your house is feeling cluttered, figure out what your 20% items are and get rid of the rest
I know 80% of your stuff sounds like a lot but, trust me, it will be easy for you to look at your items and know right away which things you only use 20% of the time.
Now, you definitely don’t have to be this drastic but it helps to know this rule so that you don’t regret getting rid of stuff.
One thing that will be important to remember, however, is that there are certain items that are certainly important even though they only get used once in a while.
For example, maybe you own camping gear that you can only use three or four weekends a year.
I like to consider this a seasonal item or a specialized item. It gets used rarely because it is a niche product but it is one that has a lot of value when you do use it.
I would recommend also keeping those items.
If you are wanting to improve the way you manage your time, your effort, or your money, try applying the 80/20 rule.
Look for where your 20% is and put all of your effort, time, and money into it.
Don’t waste it on the other 80% that doesn’t matter as much.
This will help you relieve unnecessary stress and simply focus on the things that matter most in life. I hope that this will help you as much as it has helped me!
Do you have any tips on how to simplify your life with the 80/20 Rule?
The 80/20 rule is one of my favorites! You have great insight on the “why” behind the rule. Thanks for sharing!
It’s one of my favourites, too! Learning the 80/20 rule was such a game-changer for me.
I never heard of this rule but I have to say you made a very convincing argument to use it. I’ll try to implement it one by one, probably starting with 20% of time spend on the most important tasks.
This rule definitely does help you make the most of your time and waste less time on the stuff that doesn’t really matter. I hope you find it helpful!
It is the first time I hear about this rule, but I think I have nothing to lose giving a try.
Yes, this rule has zero risks! It’s just a good number to keep in the back of your mind as you consider how you spend your time and money.
I have never heard of this before, but it is amazing! I wish I had learned of it sooner!!!!!
I’m glad you found it helpful! It was a serious game-changer when I heard of it for the first time.
This idea is new for me & amazing. Thank you for sharing this revolutionary idea.
I’m so glad you found it helpful, Shahrina! It was definitely a game-changer for my life 🙂
What a great explanation! I’d heard of this and practiced it in principle, but honestly, it was never explained this way to me. I really gives me a different perspective on how to practice the 80/20 rule to yield high-priority results!
One thing I love about this concept is that it is something that we sort of follow without even realizing it!
Interesting concept, never hear of this but am excited to give it a try! I love the amount of detail, makes it easy to understand. Thanks for taking the time to share.
I happened upon the concept when I was in high school and I have been obsessed with it ever since!