How to Be More Productive? Pareto Principle
Planing
Have you ever been in front of your desk to decide what work you should be doing first so that you are going to be able to spend the most productive day of the month? Sorry, that was a stupid question! We all have been there. It is not a pleasant feeling, is it? You cleaned your desk at the night before. That is good. You canceled all the unnecessary meetings and time wasting works of yours. That is good too. Furthermore, you prepared your to do list before sitting on your chair which is perfect. However, once you sit on that chair your brain starts distracting you. Daydreaming is the brain's reaction for procrastinating the demands that makes you uncomfortable. Where do I start, how do I spend my time productively?
80/20 Rule
Vilfredo Pareto, who is an italian philosopher and economist, was born in 1848. Once he was walking in his garden, he observed that minority of pea plants had been producing the majority of the pea pods in the garden which made him think about the wealth and land owned in all over Italy. 20% of the population was owning the 80% of the wealth, he discovered. And just like that 80% percent of industrial production was done by the 20% of the companies. The point is majority of results were actually caused by minority of actions.
How to use the Pareto Principle?
After cleaning the desk, cancelling the time wasting activities and preparing the to do list, it is time to select the minority that will create the majority. To do lists usually consist 5 to 10 elements, so what are to 1 or 2 elements that will actually create the four times more productivity than the remaining 4 to 8?
If you are the owner of a textile company, you would realize that most sales are done to the first 2 companies you work with and mostly purchased or NOT purchased cottons are the ones that will bring you the highest or the lowest profit.
If you are a physics student; you know that, to pass the examination you attend, dealing with 1 or 2 logical meanings (Formula, Question Type, Part of a Question, etc.) of the lesson will bring something close to 80% of the grade.
Or if you are learning a new language, it is easy to realize that mostly pronounced words in daily life are the minority of the words that are used in that language.
Determining the most important tasks might be the best shortcut to the success we desire and daily productivity we have is the small pieces of the long run big improvement.
Learn more about habit forming -> "How Are Habits Formed? The Power of Habit - Part: 1"
First image -> http://www.evolytics.com/
Second image -> https://www.puraforceremedies.com/
