Vocabulary

 
 
 

Work and Tasks

In terms of activities, the 80-20 Rule also says that 20% of your tasks will account for 80% of the value of your results.

In other words, if you have a list of ten tasks to do, all of these activities may take the same amount of time to accomplish.

Two of those items, however, will be worth the other eight put together.
 

Do It

Often, just one out of ten activities will be worth more than the other nine put together.

With this in mind, which task should you do first, and stick with it until it is completed? The answer is simple.
 

Hard vs. Fun and Easy

As obvious as this is, many people don’t follow this process.

And why not?

It’s because the most valuable tasks are often the most difficult and complex. They may also be the most tedious, boring, and grueling.

On the other hand, the bottom 80% tasks are typically quicker, easier and more fun to do.
 

Concentrate and Focus

But effective, productive people steadfastly refuse to work on trivial, miscellaneous tasks.

Instead they concentrate all their efforts on vital, critical tasks until they are finished.

So before you begin work, always ask yourself, “Is this task in the top 20% of all my activities or in the bottom 80%? Is it vital or trivial?”

Keep in mind that the payoff for completing these top 20% tasks efficiently can be tremendous.
 
 
 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 

Questions

1/2. If you have ten different tasks that require an hour to complete, it means they are all equally important. Is this true or false?

1/3. Are the two most important tasks worth the next four most important tasks?

2/3. How should you schedule your workday?

2/5. Most people always do the most important tasks firsts, and stick to that until they are completed. Is this right or wrong?

3/4. Why don’t people always do their most important tasks firsts and complete them?

3/10. What’s the difference between effective, successful individuals; and ineffective, unsuccessful individuals?

4/5. What should you be asking yourself throughout the day?
 
 
 
5/8. Does your job involve doing many different things, or just a few?

7/8. What are all your duties and responsibilities?

7/10. What are the top 20% or vital few activities that you must do? Do you spend 80% of your working time on them? What happens when you spend much of your time on miscellaneous activities?

9/10. Do your friends and colleagues follow the 80-20 Rule? Describe what they do (but don’t mention their names).

11/100. How could the Pareto Principle be used to improve the efficiency and productivity of your company or organization?