The 80/20 Process Skew of The Universe

When I was a kid, I was fascinated by the stars, and would use my cheap telescope to try to see if they were planets or stars, why did they twinkle, why did 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.

Now I’m a ‘river person’, and my life has indeed been a journey down my river of passions, and I find out new discoveries every day.

I’m not lazy, have a natural inquisitiveness about the world around me, and have worked hard in my life’s endeavors to either a greater or lesser amount of success. See…

…I’m always looking for a better way to get things done.

The truth turned out to be even stranger than fiction.

Hiding In Plain Sight

Yeah, that’s the phase I’m looking for.

Bet you 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….

See, 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 to be 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 almost seems to be a natural law of nature.

But here is where it got interesting for me – and that was to 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 heck, I gotta get on with my life – so back to work…

I can recommend the book by Greg Koch if you wanna 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, just 20% of the inputs provides 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 isn’t it?

So instead of thinking you just got lucky, what if you ‘Success Engineered’ your attention towards those 20% of data and steered that towards whatever outcome you were wanting to achieve?

How about the middle one? 20% of the causes brings 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 really 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 out of it. What if I called it:

Focus and work on that 20% to deliver a massive 80% of the type of results that really 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.

Check out Projex Acadamy for their range of online project management training videos because just 20% of YOUR effort will bring 80% of the results – to your career!

GO HERE to find out more….

80% Of You Won’t Click – because it’s not for everybody

There’s that darned rule working On Your Life Right Now, because,

…only 20% of you will click that link – why? because….20% of the causes brings you 80% of your life’s outcomes,

and to quote Tom…”you can’t handle the truth”

20% of the Actions you take or information you act on provides 80% of the Outcomes

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 on 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 use the 80/20 Process to engineer my lifestyle.

Here’s what I did – simple stuff really, I just needed to take stock of what I was good at and what I disliked….including some uncomfortable stuff….

• I love my wife and life partner Jude
• I have a low threshold for stress, but a high threshold for risk taking
• I have degree-level math skills, but dislike number crunching
• I have 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, sport, TV, or any form of ‘news’
• I am a social person but love being alone
• Am I a millionaire? Well, lets just say ‘I know where the money is’ and I certainly live the lifestyle of a millionaire
• 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’m dyslexic yet love reading
• I dislike gambling – I’m a bad 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 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 easy steps
• I get my best business ideas when slurping vino in shady street bars
• I have a morbid fear of heights, yet have flown all over the world
• 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 have no fear of formal presentations
• I’ve blown out most of my high frequency hearing due to playing in rock bands
• I have a seven year-old grand daughter who I have only met once
• I love structure in what I do but 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 being surrounded by nature – I hate cities and crowds
• I love pulling information together and making it into a cohesive whole
• I’ve been married three times
• I won’t own a mobile phone, I threw mine away 6 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 each morning and stop by breakfast or earlier
• I’m generous to a fault
• I hate admin, shopping, tidying up and I’m useless 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 makes more than I need and get autopilot money delivered in my inbox
• I’m a Bohemian Libertarian, but other than that, a Nice Guy
• I have my own views about creation and it has nothing to do with religion
• I love working on my own 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 – took me two years though….

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 I’m 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, 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 turn out to be even stranger than fiction for YOU too.

But seriously though, 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!