For those of you not in the know (which is none of you, because you're all in the know) the Pareto Principle of 80/20 is the theory that 80% is done by, owned by, or is generally speaking in relationship to the 20%. Example: 20% of the church does 80% of the work. Or how about, save 20% of your income, and spend 80%. Or Spend 80% of your time, doing the top 20% of things that are productive. Eat 80% healthy, and 20% junk, and you'll probably be ok in life. Is it starting to make sense?
I've liked the Pareto Principle for a long time. I think it's pretty accurate, and it can be a good tool to apply to your life. Are you spending 80% of your time, money, and resources on what matters the most? Or is it flipped? If it's flipped, I'm guessing you probably wake up everyday wondering what you can do about it. Well, here it is: make a list of 5-7 things that are most important to you to do, and organize 80% of your time around it. Lay off the tv, and start doing what really matters.
Trust me when I say that you don't have the time. I know you don't have the time, and not in some excuse way because you're spending 80% of your free time watching tv and eating Cheeto's in your jammies. You don't have the time because time is short, and it is not a renewable commodity.
So here's some ideas to help you out:
80% of my time goes to
Spending time with God in prayer and in His word
Working on my physical health
Reading other books to exercise my mind, and intellect
Practicing important life skills (like knot tying, first aid, food preparation, gardening etc.)
Spending time with family and friends
Church
Volunteerism
Maintaining my equipment (like tools, guns, housekeeping, cars etc,)
Expanding my equipment (like more tools, guns, outdoor gear etc.)
Producing more money through side gigs/entrepreneurship
Sabbath Rest
20% of my time goes to
Watching tv in my jammies
Scrolling through Facebook
Writing excuses in the YouTube comment section
Complaining about politicians
Staring off into space
Eating donuts
Browsing through stores (which no man should really be doing anyway, unless its the gun store or Lowes)
So how is your time looking? Remember, you don't get it back. So invest it wisely, and this principle will certainly help you along the way.
*Last thought on this, when it comes to people, I've always figured the 10, 10, and 80 rule. That is there's 10% on each side of the ideological paradigm, that fight for the loyalty of the 80% to shape society. Example: 10% Capitalist, and 10% Socialist/Communist fight to sway the 80% in the middle just trying to go work and provide for their families. I find that most people are middle of the road, or don't really care that much. It's the top 10% influencers that tend to sway the masses. Let me know your thoughts. And click the little heart button if you liked the article!
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