Introduction
You probably know it too: there are tasks that you complete like a rocket and are on the move at a pace that amazes those around you. And then there are the other tasks. You usually put them off for a while because you know exactly how tedious they will be...
This is precisely where the so-called Pareto principle comes in. It was originally discovered by Vilfredo Pareto in 1906, when he discovered that in Italy 20 percent of the population owns 80 percent of the land. But what does this have to do with your time?
The 80-20 rule
This interesting observation has been forgotten for a long time and has hardly been taken up. It's actually quite fascinating when you consider where we encounter it: 80 percent of the world's population have less than 20 percent of the wealth, 80 percent of the population live on 20 percent of the land area, at work you often devote 80 percent of your attention to only 20 percent of your activities and so on. Take a conscious look around you and you will see that you encounter the Pareto principle constantly and everywhere.
But let's take a step back and have a quick look at what it actually means:
The 80-20 rule states that our effort does not always correspond to the result. Quite the opposite: 80 percent of our results are achieved with 20 percent of our effort. The remaining 20 percent of the result consumes 80 percent of our effort!
Pareto and time management
The fact or realization described is fundamental in the area of time management! Think about what the Pareto principle can mean for your tasks in everyday working life! You can complete 80 percent of your tasks in one fifth of the time! Imagine completing all your tasks with this level of efficiency.
Step 1: Your tasks
In order to develop options for you here, the first step is to write a list of all the activities and tasks that you need to complete. Think about all the activities and tasks on your list and decide whether they are quick and easy for you or whether they fall into the "energy and time wasters" category. Be very critical and honest and I would also advise you to question very carefully whether you actually have to do the energy and time wasters. And if you really have to do them, to what extent or in what quality you have to do them.
Step 2: What are you particularly efficient at?
Once you have created your list of tasks, there are two more steps to take:
As a first step, take a look at the tasks that you complete particularly efficiently - i.e. all those tasks that you can complete with 20 percent of your effort. According to the Pareto principle, this should actually be the majority of your tasks. What exactly makes you so efficient here? Why do you work so motivated, focused and quickly? Can you recognize strategies or patterns, and if so, what exactly do these patterns look like? Try to pinpoint as precisely as possible why you are so successful at achieving so much with 20 percent of your effort.
Step 3: Your time and energy wasters
In the last step, look at the much shorter list of tasks that cost you the most effort according to the 80-20 rule. Try to find out why they require so much effort! Perhaps you realize that you have too high quality standards in some areas, or perhaps you realize that you could achieve greater efficiency in some areas with more experience, training, skills or even acquired expertise.
Steps for your everyday life
Your goal in the area of self-management and time management should be to use your time/energy resources consciously and reflectively. So take a close look at what you need in order to complete these tasks with less effort.
Also take another look at your strategies for the tasks that you manage efficiently. What do you need to do to apply these strategies to the more complex tasks? Not every strategy will be transferable 1:1 - be creative and try out different things! Set yourself small goals and "learning packages" and at the beginning regularly review whether you have succeeded in completing the more time-consuming tasks and activities more efficiently.
Sometimes an outside perspective can help! We are happy to help you identify and consciously optimize your time and energy resources. Get in touch with us! We look forward to hearing from you!