Introduction
Hey folks! Welcome to the Talktoscribe blog, your source for tips and tricks to stay healthy and productive in an ever-changing world. Today we're discussing the 80/20 rule, a core principle in any productive life.
What is the 80/20 Rule?
At its core, the 80/20 rule is simple: 80% of results come from 20% of causes. 80% of output is from 20% of workers, 80% of sales come from 20% of calls, and so on. While these numbers are rough, they're still startlingly accurate, and apply to nearly all sectors of both business and life.
The rule originated in an analysis of the Italian economy, but was applied to business by Richard Koch, and popularized by figures like Tim Ferris and Perry Marshall. It has since been extended to finance, personal development, and numerous other areas, with impressive results.
For you, those results could be gains at the gym, output at work, or better content creation. The causes we'll be examining are your time, skill, and effort. Your goal, then, is to find and replicate the most effective 20% of those three causes.
The results of applying the 80/20 rule are even better than you likely expect. Not only are less effective (80%) habits being replaced with more effective (20%) ones, but also those more effective habits, that 20%, will themselves improve. This across-the-board benefit occurs because many changes that improve the 80% will also help the 20% (improved goal setting, good strategy, flexible tactics), and because improvement in one area generally comes with increased overall skill.
Applying the 80/20 rule leads, then, to a powerful cycle of improvement.
Applying the Rule
The 80/20 rule sounds great, right? But it's not going to help you until you put it into action. The road to hell, and to inaction, is paved with good intentions. So how can you apply the rule to your life? These three steps will bring you from intention to action:
#1: Identify
The first step is figuring out what's different about that top 20%. Sit down, pull up your tools of choice, and think carefully. When are you at your best? At what time of day, in what environment, with what tools? Maybe you work best in the mornings, using Google docs. Maybe you're more warmed up in the afternoon, and prefer Word. Identify the situations where your focus is highest.
Along with finding your focus, you also need to identify problems. Issues like social media, poor sleep, or burnout can greatly effect your work. Make sure to spend some time examining these issues. Social media use is one common problem, but there will be others too.
Don't worry if this step takes some time - measure twice, cut once, as they say. Accurate self-analysis can be difficult. At the bottom of this article you can find some tools to help you here.
#2: Implement:
Once you understand what sets the 20% apart, it's time to apply that insight to the rest. Identification is no good without implementation.
There are two parts to this: planning, and execution.
The planning stage is first. Perhaps you discovered that you work better in the morning. Figure out how you can get up a bit earlier, or batch your most important tasks together during this period. Don't waste flow state on checking email; use it to write copy, or identify potential clients.
Second, and even simpler, is implementation. You have everything you need, so get to it!
#3: Iterate:
I said to measure twice, cut once earlier. Truth is, it's more like measure six times, cut seven. No matter how perfect your plan is, how effective your implementation, there will still be gaps. Things you missed. Unexpected outcomes.
This is where iteration comes in.
Once you've had time to see results from your implementation, you take a step back. You re-identify, check what's working, what's not. Then you plan again, figure out how to apply your knowledge, and implement. And repeat.
This process may seem endless, but that's actually the power of the 80/20 rule. Improvement doesn't have a limit. Perhaps after some point there are diminishing returns, but I haven't found that point yet, and I don't think most others have either.
So keep on pushing. Identify, implement, and iterate. You reap what you sow, and this rule will help you sow the seeds of success.
Tools
While the ultimate responsibility for change comes down to you, there are tools you can use to help you out. Below are instructions on using two of our favorite tools to apply the 80/20 rule to your life.
Scribe
Scribe is the first Socratic AI assistant: a user-centric, conversational AI that uses questions to help you clarify and distill your thoughts. It can be integrated into all three steps of applying the 80/20 rule to great effect. Need help identifying your best habits? Getting your plan onto paper? Reevaluating your successes and failures? Scribe is perfect for all of these uses, and many more.
Obsidian
Obsidian is a word processor that's perfect for this use case. Because it's based on markdown, functions like bulleted lists and headings are only a keypress away. It's also tabulated, so that you can flip easily between various notes, keeping your plans for improvement organized. Finally, it has built in linking, so you can connect your notes.
As a bonus, try using both tools together, pasting content from scribe into your notes in Obsidian.
Final Notes
The 80/20 rule can make a world of difference in every part of your life. Don't wait to improve, get out there and get started! If you're having trouble getting your first thoughts down, or starting your analysis, give Scribe a call, and get your life up and running.
Good luck, and remember: Clarify your thoughts, improve your life!