We end up giving the least time to life’s most meaningful activities; use the 80-20 life principle to focus and change your life for the better

Are you too busy to be effective?

We end up giving the least time to life’s most meaningful activities; use the 80-20 life principle to focus and change your life for the better

    DO you often feel that there are not enough hours in the day to do all that you really want to do? Do you wish you could stretch a day both sides so you can pack in more than you do in 24 hours?
Exasperated by the busy buzz of Delhi, a visiting friend from a calmer clime exclaimed, “Oh God, these people are so busy! They are too busy to work, too busy to enjoy, too busy to live!” I laughed at the image, but stopped short at the thought. If we are not working, not living, and not even enjoying life, what are we busy doing? We are all busy trying to make the most of every opportunity available, without stopping to think of what is relevant!
    When I suggested to a leading industrialist that his acute powers of observation and eye for detail would make him a good writer, he replied, “I know, but one has to decide what to focus time and energy on; we can’t do everything we are good at!” Words of wisdom, the kind that keep you thinking of long after. There are many things we may like to do, many we may be good at, but does it make sense to spread ourselves out thin trying to do all? Or should one focus on the one or two things one is best at?
    In a way, the 80-20 principle, or ‘Law of the vital few’ can be effectively applied to our lives, helping us live out the most vital and enriched portions fully. Be it at work, relationships, entertainment or our own evolution, the 80-20 principle, which states that 80 per cent of the results come from 20 per cent of the efforts, applies perfectly! It was Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto who stated that 80 per cent of the land in Italy was owned by 20 per cent people. He also established that 20 per cent of the pea pods in his garden contained 80 per cent peas! It is a common principle of business that 80 per cent sales come from 20 per cent clients, as do complaints; and also 80 per cent gains come from 20 per cent products. This principle can be further extended to embrace all areas of life, and be used as a life principle.
    Think about it. You will realise that of the entire day at office, the major chunk of work you managed to complete would have been done in roughly 20 per cent of the time! Of all the things you did in a day, only a few would have given you satisfaction. Of all your friends and contacts, you mostly interact with just about 20 per cent. Of the people you meet, you really enjoy the company of a very few. In a relationship, you mostly create a handful of memorable moments!
    Wouldn’t it make sense to focus on the few meaningful activities and eliminate the rest? It would certainly make for a more meaningful and enjoyable life! Instead of reciting a thousand prayers, focus on the one that gives you most peace; instead of reading 100 books, focus on and re-read the 10 you find most value in. In an entire book, learn to read the 20 per cent that gives you true value. Keep the few things that get used most of the time; throw away the rest. Invest time to learn the tools and hone the skills you use most of the time, rather than trying to learn it all! Work hard on the few relationships that matter and even within those, work on enhancing the very few memorable moments.
    How does one get to an understanding of the 20 per cent that needs focus? Easy. Get an idea of the few things that mean most to you and then devote your time and energy to them! What means most to you in life — money, love, family, friends, music, reading, writing, creating things or consuming them? Think of what you enjoy most, what makes you most happy and leaves you with a feeling of well-being. As businessman and author of the 80/20 series, Richard Koch explains, what would be most meaningful will be something unique to you and more often than not, something that creates value for others as well, since it is in recognition and creating value that happiness and satisfaction lie!