80/20 Your Life! How To Get More Done With Less Effort And Change Your Life In The Process!

by Damon Zahariades

You’ll find the 80/20 rule is a powerful tool that you can use to achieve maximum satisfaction from your career, home life, and relationships.

formula. Rather, this is about cultivating a forward-thinking mindset, one that recognizes the tremendous value in focusing on items that matter and ignoring the rest.

we’re dedicating our focus and energy to tasks that produce the greatest impact with regards to our goals.

You’ll discover how I’ve used the 80/20 rule, and the leverage it offers, to make considerable changes in my lifestyle.

decades later, it’s still the measuring stick I use when deciding how and where to spend my time.

Numerous problems surfaced during the course of a typical day. It was tempting to treat each of them with the same level of attention. But I learned that some problems were unimportant and best ignored for the sake of moving forward.

I also found that 80% of my business’s revenue came from 20% of its customers (the ratio was actually around 87/13).

Focusing on the 20% of possible actions and ignoring the rest was a game changer when it came to my health.

When I create marketing campaigns to promote my books, I avoid social media, blog tours, book signings, guest blogging, and podcast interviews. I’ve learned these activities have a negligible effect on sales. Instead, I focus my time and attention on creating actionable content for my email newsletter and creating small ads on Amazon. These activities comprise the 20% of possible actions that produces 80% of my results.

The small stuff rarely matters. Focusing on the big stuff, the 20%, saves valuable time, ramps up productivity, and moves the needle further when it comes to goal achievement.

When you focus on the things that matter and ignore everything else, you’ll make huge strides toward whatever goal you’re trying to accomplish. Even better, you’ll be able to do so with a minimum investment of time and energy

Once you recognize that a large proportion of your output results from a small proportion of inputs, you’ll be able to truly leverage your time, focus, and effort.

When I’m worried about things, it’s difficult for me to pursue and maintain divergent thinking. My attention becomes scattered and the creative part of my brain shuts down.

Eighty percent of the items that cause me concern never come to pass. Therefore, they can be ignored without consequence.

For example, making smart decisions requires information. But most of the information you can gather regarding any given topic is likely to prove immaterial. Some of it will do more harm than good, causing paralysis by analysis. By focusing on the 20% that matters, you can accelerate the decision-making process and feel comfortable owning your choices. The Pareto principle has far-reaching implications with regard to leadership.

Moreover, the results are nothing short of extraordinary when we allow it to govern and guide our decisions.

Starting and running a small business requires a significant amount of time and focus. There are many moving parts that demand attention. From hiring talented people and creating a marketing strategy to pursuing leads and boosting profits, the small business owner’s work is never done.

The actual numbers matter little. Instead, focus on the principle behind the distribution: a minority of inputs is responsible for a majority of outputs.

A CEO’s job is to decide an organization’s strategic direction, monitor how his or her company is performing toward that end, and make adjustments accordingly. He or she is responsible for the organization’s success. Think of yourself as the CEO of your life.

You’re in charge of your happiness, financial picture, health, and personal growth.

it’s about devoting yourself to work that matters to you and gives you a sense of gratification. It’s about investing in yourself, where the return on investment is most likely to be astronomical

First, zero in on the positions that match your qualifications.

Second, identify the employers who are currently hiring for those positions. Third, tailor your cover letter for those specific employers.

Spend the majority of your time following up with the small number of high-value contacts.

you’ll be better served spending a little time upfront formulating a high-impact job search plan.

First, identify the type of job you want. Be specific. Second, set weekly goals. Determine how many resumes you’ll send each week, how many interviews you’ll schedule, and how many people you’ll reach out to in your industry. Third, select two or three high-potential job-search tools to use.

Focus on the 20% of job-search activities that’ll deliver the position you want.

If you want to improve your career, it’s crucial that you work smarter rather than harder. You must leverage your time in a way that has the greatest impact on your productivity.

deliver. You want the heightened visibility that comes with high-profile projects.

First, before you accept a project, make sure it aligns with your strengths.

Second, focus on projects that promise minimal roadblocks. For example, avoid those for which you’re unable to identify the key stakeholders. Such ambiguity may prevent you from acquiring the resources you need to see a project through to its end.

Once I stopped treating each message with the same level of attention and importance, I found it easy to dismiss most of them without guilt.

First, create a folder in your email app and label it “Requires Action/Response.” Place all emails that demand your attention into this folder. Second, pick two times during the day to clear out this folder.

First, as a general rule, 20% of your team members will produce 80% of your team’s output. Identify the 20%. These individuals are your hyper performers.

Second, figure out what motivates your top performers. Pick one or two of the largest influencing factors and deliver them. Third, provide additional training to your most productive employees. They’re going to drive most of your team’s output. Therefore, it makes sense to give them opportunities to broaden their knowledge and expand their skillsets.

The problem is, your time as a manager is limited and always in demand. You can’t spend your day catering to the neediness of a few employees. At the same time, it’s important to listen to them and offer feedback and guidance. It may even be worth your while to mentor these individuals if you believe they possess potential.

set aside an hour on Mondays and Thursdays, and schedule 10-minute “meetings” with each individual. Use these sessions to listen to their needs. Third, praise these individuals. It only takes a moment to recognize them for something they’ve done well. Meanwhile, the praise you give them will bolster their confidence and encourage them to continue performing at a high level. The

One tactic for doing so is to give yourself a predetermined amount of time for completing a task, and sticking to that time frame. Once your time is up, you consider the task finished. I’ve

“work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” So if you give yourself five hours to clean your home, you’ll take five hours. If

Second, set a time limit for each room. For example, allow 15 minutes to clean the kitchen, 10 minutes to clean each bathroom, and 5 minutes to sweep the porch. If you need to vacuum your carpets, give yourself 20 minutes. No more.

Second, I began to spot-clean. I stopped waiting for “Cleaning Day.” Instead,

First, focus on foods that offer nutrition. If a particular food offers no nutrition, refrain from including it in your meals.

Second, make a list of your favorite nutritional foods. Categorize them by type: fruits, vegetables, fish, chicken, etc. Doing this serves two purposes. It gives you something to reference when deciding what dishes to prepare. That way, you’re never at a loss. It also streamlines the ingredients you’ll use, simplifying your meals.

First, if you subscribe to multiple streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, etc.), pick one and cancel the others.

Second, review the shows you watch. Rate them from one to ten in terms of how much you enjoy them. Abandon any shows that rate below eight.

First, make a list of every activity you enjoy. Once you’ve completed this list, pick the five you enjoy the most.

Second, think about roadblocks that might prevent you from pursuing the five favored activities on your

Third, consider whether you need others to participate in the two hobbies that remain. For example, you need others to play poker, basketball, tennis, and billiards. But playing the guitar, cooking, gardening, and crossword puzzles? Those can be done on your own. It’s fine if one of your hobbies requires other people. But if it does, make sure the other hobby doesn’t.

First, make a list of your goals.

Second, think of hobbies that align with these goals.