Here's an application of the 80/20 Principle that not only makes sense... it can make you time, energy, money and bring fulfilment too. That is if you dare to use it to your full eccentric and idiosyncratic potential! There's no doubt that there are chunks of time in life which are far, far more enjoyable and productive than others. And conversely, that there are chunks of time when you have to work incredibly hard to achieve not very much. And yet overall you probably behave as though that's entirely untrue, as though all time and all energy is equal. The 80/20 Principle (also known as the Pareto Law) asserts that you achieve 80% of your results in only 20% of your time and using only 20% of your energy. Which leads to some obvious, but strangely uncomfortable questions such as: ?? Why continue to struggle with the unproductive 80% of your time? ?? Why exhaust the remaining 80% of your energy to little or no effect? ?? What's stopping you from identifying your productive, enjoyable 20% and doing more of it? ?? What will it take for you to see the fruitless 80% for what it is, and stop doing it? If you want to use your time and energy more effectively, you first need to declutter. You need to create a space for the activities, people and ideas that will make the difference. And used as a decluttering tool, the 80/20 Principle can produce results which are startlingly liberating and effective. So where do you need to focus your decluttering efforts? Richard Koch has written several great books on the 80/20 Principle and he lists the top 5 low value uses of your time as: * Things other people want you to do * Things that have always been done this way * Things you're not unusually good at doing * Things you don't enjoy doing * Things that are always interrupted This is where the eccentricity comes in, because the point here isn't to do these things more efficiently, or to manage your time better. The point is to stop doing these things altogether. A clear sign that you're on the right track is when your friends and family comment that you're acting a bit weird! But don't let them put you off... keep your awareness on what works for you and what doesn't and declutter accordingly. It follows then, that if you're going to stop wasting your time on the low value stuff, you'll have more time for enjoyable, productive, creative activities. Richard Koch's top 10 of high quality activities includes: * Things that advance your overall purpose in life * Things you've always wanted to do * Things other people tell you can't be done * Innovative ways of doing things that slash the time required * Producing creative works of art An open willingness to identify those activities which you can do easily, however unusual they may seem, will point the way forward for you. Notice what you're doing on those magical occasions when time flies by and you feel positively energised. Then actively plan to do more of it. By making the choice to declutter unproductive activities and to utilise your time and energy more effectively, the results you achieve are bound to multiply fast.
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