Creativity Now, 2nd Edition

Use the Pareto Principle

THE PRINCIPLE

20 per cent of what you do gives you 80 per cent of the value

The Pareto Principle is also known as the 80/20 rule or the Law of the Vital Few. It was derived from the observation by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto that 80 per cent of the land in Italy was owned by only 20 per cent of the population. It has since been extended to many other situations and seems to be reflected in our mundane experience – for instance, the likelihood that you wear 20 per cent of your clothing 80 per cent of the time.

The application that concerns us here is the notion that 20 per cent of what you do gives you 80 per cent of the value. This is borne out by the observation by time management experts that most people spend ...