80% of results tend to come from 20% of causes
– The 80/20 Rule

Science lessons in school taught us that ‘every action has an equal and opposite reaction’.

That may be true of simple, contained science experiments but its not true of complex systems – like life.

In complex systems, 80% of results tend to come from 20% of causes.

This is known as The 80/20 Rule (also ‘The Pareto Principle’).

The 80/20 Rule can be almost universally applied to any complex area of life. eg.

• 80% of referrals come from 20% of your fanbase
• 80% of clicks come from 20% of keywords
• 80% of sales come from 20% of your work

The numbers aren’t always 80/20 – they could be 80/10 or 70/20 – but there is always a small minority of causes which contributes to the majority of the result.

Knowing this, the trick then is to 80/20 your marketing/business/art/life.

What are the 20% of causes that are giving you 80% of your ‘results’?

Ruthlessly focus on this 20% – and delegate (or even ignore) the other 80%.

Every action does *not* have an equal and opposite reaction.

Some actions are worth well more than others… especially when one considers the cumulative effect of 80/20’ing your life over time.