The 80/20 Process Skew of The Universe
When I was a kid, I was fascinated by the stars, and I would use my cheap telescope to see if they were planets or stars, why they twinkle, why they shine, and how come they only come out at night.
Fast forward to 2015, and the world knows far more than I could ever have imagined about the night sky and our place in the universe.
The truth turned out to be even stranger than fiction.
Dave Litten – River Person
Now I’m a ‘river person’, and my life has been a journey down my river of passions, and I discover discoveries every day.
I’m active, have a natural curiosity about the world, and have worked hard in my life’s endeavours for greater or lesser success.
I’m always looking for a better way to get things done.
Hiding In Plain Sight
Yeah, that’s the phase I’m looking for.
Bet you’ve heard of many of these too:
- “Hard work never killed anybody.”
- “I’m a multi-tasker.”
- “Garbage in equals garbage out.”
- “You’re only as good as your data.”
- “Nail down what the customer wants – then deliver it.”
- “You reap what you sow.”
- “Don’t take chances – manage risks instead.”
- “Work hard – Play hard.”
These are all phrases that get bandied about, and all have the ring of truth about them, but hiding beneath them is the 80/20 Rule discovered by an Italian guy back in the 18th century – his name was Pareto.
But I have called it a Process, not a Rule, and I have good reason to do so.
It turns out that Pareto had discovered that 80% of the wealth in Italy at the time was owned by just 20% of the population. As more and more folks looked into it, the 80/20 rule seemed bloody everywhere!
Did you know that:
- 20% of your carpet gets 80% of the wear
- You wear the same 20% of your entire wardrobe … 80% of the time
- Even the universe is Skewed by it. 80/20 is a natural law of nature.
- But it got interesting here – it would happen much later in my life.
- Back in the day, the 80/20 rule was taught as an almost academic topic – good for classrooms, great to quote, but I must get on with my life – so back to work.
- I can recommend the book by Greg Koch if you want to dig further, but for now, check out my diagram:
I’ll bet that turned your head, didn’t it?!
Check out the first example above; 20% of the inputs provide 80% of the outputs.
What if I called that:
20% of the Actions you take or information you act on provides 80% of the Outcomes instead – and how might that fit into your personal and business life?
That’s a biggie right there.
So instead of thinking you just got lucky, what if you ‘Success Engineered’ your attention towards that 20% of data and steered that towards whatever outcome you wanted to achieve?
How about the middle one? 20% of the causes bring you 80% of the consequences. What if I called that:
20% of the situations deliver 80% of the Outcomes instead – how might you ‘engineer’ yourself into those situations to get what you want out of life?
And the last one.
20% of the effort brings 80% of the results. That’s it right there.
Sometimes we spend far too much time and effort spinning our wheels yet seem to get a small proportion of what we want from it. What if I called it:
Focus and work on that 20% to deliver a massive 80% of the results that matter to you.
Yeah, I like that.
Can you see why I call it a Process?
Yeah, that’s right,
‘cuz You’ve Gotta Apply It
Simples.
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80% Of You Won’t Click – because it’s not for everybody
It took me many years on my ‘river life’ to hone down what that 20% meant to me, and in a positive way, it allowed me to look back at what I could and should have fixed, such as:
- Lifestyle
- Life work balance
- Wage slave and Stress
- Bad bosses
- Poor career advice
- Dead end jobs
- Putting my family first
- Dilbert Cube entrapment
- Perceptions, not reality
- Low self-esteem
- Pay rises that inflation swallows up
- Bad choice of partners
- Errors of judgement
The list goes on.
It turned out that having a JOB (Just Over Broke) was the lead weight in my life.
I knew my bosses wanted me to work as hard as possible, as long as possible, and pay me the least they could get away with.
They were using the 80/20 Process against me!
But I fixed it, and now I use the 80/20 Process to engineer my lifestyle.
Here’s what I did – simple stuff; I just needed to take stock of what I was good at and disliked – including some uncomfortable stuff.
I love my wife and life partner, Jude.
- I have a low threshold for Stress but a high level for risk-taking.
- I have degree-level math skills but dislike number crunching.
- A dislike of those with authority and power
- I suffer from lower back pain and swollen feet, so sometimes I can be an old grouch.
- I am disinterested in governments, politics, religions, sports, TV, or any form of ‘news.’
- I am a social person, but I love being alone.
- Am I a millionaire? Well, let’s say, ‘I know where the money is,’ and I certainly live a millionaire’s lifestyle.
- I never do housekeeping, shopping, ironing and washing.
- I have a natural and easy sense of humour but dislike jokes.
- My dog Rango sleeps on my bed each night, and I walk him at 2 am around my garden.
- I tend to put off starting less pleasant tasks, and my nit-picking habits can slow progress.
- I tend to put off starting less pleasant tasks and my nit-picking habits can slow progress
- I’m dyslexic, yet I love reading.
- I wouldn’t say I like gambling – I’m a terrible loser but I love taking risks.
- I have an almond and olive orchard at the bottom of my garden for quiet moments.
- I am a natural creator of products and can work 10 hours a day for several months when needed.
- I take my wife to church each Sunday while I ‘wait’ in the bar across the street
- I am a natural teacher and love infecting others with valuable information
- I can take complex subjects and ideas and break them down into manageable steps.
- I get my best business ideas when slurping vino in dark street bars.
- I have a morbid fear of heights, yet I have flown worldwide.
- My daughter Carina had epilepsy from an infant fever fit but is nearly cured; she now works as a PA to five directors at Deutsche Bank in London.
- I love having an audience and am confident in formal presentations.
- I’ve blown out most of my high-frequency hearing due to playing in rock bands.
- I have a seven-year-old granddaughter who I have only met once
- I love structure in what I do, but I like a disordered casual life.
- My ego thrives on being noticed and valued
- I hate conventional life and having norms thrust upon me.
- I get great satisfaction surrounded by nature – I wouldn’t say I like cities and crowds.
- I love pulling information together and making it into a cohesive whole.
- I’ve been married three times.
- I don’t own a mobile phone; I threw mine away six years ago.
- I’m a front-end ideas guy.
- My Son Rob is a talented drummer who also makes his living online.
- I start work at 5 am and stop by for breakfast or earlier.
- I’m generous to a fault.
- I hate admin, shopping, and tidying up, and I need to improve at money management.
- I’m a lover, not a fighter.
- I can be stubborn and self-opinionated.
- I love giving far more than taking.
- I used my Project Management skills to start a new business that made more than I needed and got autopilot money delivered to my inbox.
- I’m a Bohemian Libertarian, but other than that, a Nice Guy
- I have my views about creation, and it has nothing to do with religion.
- I love working independently and dislike joint ventures, partnerships and collaborations.
- Okay, Okay, that’s enough from me.
I sucked out the 20% that mattered and forged a path to my 80% dreams.
It worked – it took me time though There is no such thing as “Get Rich Quick”. It’s all nonesense.
I Got My 80 Percent
I have true financial independence thanks to using the same Project Management skills that I teach YOU; I have more regular income than I need and several healthy bank accounts.
I live in a warm sunny climate and only work a handful of hours a week except when developing new products to sell.
I wake up each day and decide what I want to do – mostly relaxing in my pool, playing with my dog and on my collection of guitars, and best of all, taking Jude for a quiet meal in Denia or on the beach.
I live in woodland on an old 1930 farmhouse just 700 yards from the beach, and I own a bungalow in Laguna, Philippines.
I say this not to brag but to illustrate how the 80/20 PROCESS has worked for me.
The truth could be even stranger than fiction for YOU too.
But seriously, could it work for you?
Only 20% of those who read this will go on to take action.
Sad But True.
Whatever your chosen approach to setting and meeting your goals, one of the best ways to meet them is using the knowledge, skills and experience of project management, so hop on over HERE and find out more!
