The 80-20 Rule and How it can Help You!

Do the ‘busy and repetitive’ things, rather than the actions that make a big difference, dominate your life?

 

There is a lot to do in a day. Many of these are non-negotiable – cleaning, cooking, checking emails, etc. Most of the routines that we build for people do include these everyday things.

What we ensure, however, are that the primary focus and the most effective time is geared towards those ‘bigger’ goals, where everyday effort leads you to success. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, the difference lies in how we perceive that time, and capitalise on the opportunity that it provides us. This is why planning and reviewing are so crucial in setting up your days/weeks/months/years, so that instead of pushing through each day unconsciously, through your daily habits you are actively working towards the life of your dreams.

We find that once our clients begin to diligently start putting the allocated time into building their dreams, their life seems to take on new meaning, clarity and purpose. The ‘busy’ tasks get done more quickly and consume less headspace. The feeling of growth and progress is addictive.

There is a rule in success coaching called the 80/20 rule – 80% of the work are the things that ‘must’ be done for your life to run well, and 20% is the magic amount of those small, but super effective tasks that propel you forward into your dreams (it gets you 80% of your results). Many people put off this 20 per cent, even though it often takes the same amount of energy as the other 80 per cent, simply because they believe that they have to ‘do it all’ now. If you’re going to go after a dream you must give up EVERYTHING else and simply focus and work on that with no other distractions. For some, this may be true, but in reality the 80/20 rule often works more effectively. By acknowledging that you are giving 20 per cent of your day to take big steps towards your dreams, you ease the pressure and burden of ‘getting everything done now’, yet you take solid steps each day towards the life that you imagine. So, now you need to decide what that 20 per cent looks like for you each day, schedule it in, and act on it!