Utilizing the 80/20 Rule

The 80/20 rule (the 'Pareto Principle,' named after the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto who discovered it) says 80 percent of your results come from 20 percent of your efforts. There's a variation that says you should spend 80% of your time on the solution and only 20% on the problem.

For our purposes, we can use both of these versions.

First off, make sure you spend your time focusing on the solution, not the problem. Most people end up spending 80% of their time focusing on the problem and only 20% of their time on the solution. When something goes wrong they focus on the problem: 'oh man, it's wrong, it's wrong.' They get really upset and stressed, and they put their attention on the negative emotion.

If you really want to be successful put your attention on the positive and on the solution to the problem because this directs the subconscious. One way to ensure that you spend your time focusing on the solution is to make sure your goals and questions do so.

That simple act puts your creative power on moving forward.

The subconscious is going to go where your attention goes. So put your attention on the solution and you put your power on the solution.

The second way to use this principle is in prioritizing your ideas. Once you start using your creativity to plan your days and map out your goals, the 80/20 rule becomes immensely useful.

You see, if you are really tapping into your creativity, your 'lists' (of to-dos, action items, tasks, etc) will be longer than ever! That's simple because you're going to start letting your mind flow over everything.

At the first glance, this sounds like a recipe for disaster! I'm guessing that your to-do lists are long enough as is, and I'm going to make them longer.

The thing to remember is that the list phase is just part 1: Idea generation.

Part 2 is evaluation, and even though I said most people don't need help with that, I think in this area, people do.

Most people just make a big list and get overwhelmed by how much they have to do. The key to getting out from under is to understand how to prioritize that list.

This is where the 80/20 rule really helps. Look over this massive list, and honestly decide which activities will have the biggest impact on your life. You will most likely be able to pick out a few activities (the 20%) that will have a huge impact on your life (the 80%).

You have to be honest! Don't pick activities that are the easiest or most fun (which means don't avoid activities that are the hardest or most unpleasant).

When you combine your supercharged creativity with the 80/20 rule, you are really going to firing all of your pistons at once!

EzineArticles Expert Author Avish Parashar

Avish Parashar has a refreshingly unique approach to speaking and training: identify the fundamentals of success and then give people the tools to implement those fundamentals. Avish's approach can be deceptive; it's fun, funny, interactive, engaging, entertaining, and ridiculously simple. Success isn't complicated, it's simple. So visit the web site to learn more about the "Ridiculously Simple Ideas That Everybody Needs and Nobody Uses."

Learn More: http://www.avishparashar.com

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