Finding Flow: Balancing Passion and Responsibility
The Pareto principle was first used in macroeconomics to describe the distribution of wealth in italy in the early 20th century. Pareto noticed that 20% of the population was responsible for 80% of the wealth.
On the not so good days, I can find myself strategically wasting a great deal of time dressed up as productivity. Bouncing from one activity to the next, going down (un)related rabbit holes. Doing this of course puts me in a frantic energy and pressure to get back on track, but there is no flow and I don't feel much accomplishment afterwards.
And this doesn't happen just once, but every time I take on an objective where I lack clarity of direction.
I want you to consider the application of this principle in your life:
What if you spent 80% of your time doing what you loved to do and 20% doing what you needed to?
What if in that small window you were so focused and committed to get shit done that you actually did. Get shit done that is. All of it.
So that you had 80% of your finite resource of time, energy and attention (T.E.A) available to you for what really matters.
6 STEPS TO IMPLEMENT THE 80/20 RULE
Segment your week: What do you want each of your days to be like?
Block your days: I mean all areas of your life, work, personal, family. What are you doing, when? What is taking up 80% of your time.
IMPORTANT > Be clear what you're working on in each block. Set the intention and focus your energy on that intention for 60 minutes.
Stop when the block is done.
Review: Set aside 15 minutes, assess your progress and schedule a follow-up block to continue/complete.
Practice prioritizing. This principle is about investing your energy on what gets you the best results in your life.
PS: This newsletter could have taken me 120 minutes, but instead it was scheduled, written and readied for publish in 60.
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”
- Aristotle