Let’s start with a question:

“If there really was a way to drastically increase my personal productivity… how come I wasn’t taught this in school?”

And I have to say — that’s a good question!

Many of us go through the education system without _ever _consciously assessing and improving our techniques for becoming more personally productive. Instead, we absorb a simple idea — and a potentially destructive one at that:

The harder I work, the more results I’ll surely achieve

And I’m here to tell you that simply_ isn’t true_. In fact, by just trying harder, we can often end up following too many unnecessary threads and digressions which prevent us from doing the things we really need to do.

Instead, there’s a better way to think about how you achieve results. And it might sound a little extreme at first, but stick with me. Here’s the big reveal:

80% of your results come from only 20% of your effort and time

When you read that, you might be tempted to roll your eyes — surely it’s too good to be true?! It _must _be an empty promise which can’t possibly apply to the type of work _you _do, or the level of energy you consistently apply to your projects?

Actually, I’d go even further:

For many people, it’s more like 90% of your results come from 10% of your effort and time.

Curious? Read on…

It’s valuable to take a step back and realise what efforts actually generate the best results

This is called the Pareto Principle, and it has the ability to completely shift the way you think about getting work done. It isn’t a trendy concept invented in a pop-management book; the Pareto Principle can be traced all the way back to 1896, when Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto began to notice the pattern in various economic modelling he was doing at the University of Lausanne.

You don’t need to look far online to find discussions about this principle, but here’s a quick introduction. In many areas of life:

80% of an effect is created by only 20% of a cause

Here are some real-world examples:

— 80% of software problems are caused by 20% of bugs

— 80% of pollution originates from 20% of all factories

— 80% of sales come from 20% of your clients

— 20% of students have grades 80% or higher

And the list_ goes on_. A quick search will bring up hundreds of similar data points which fit this pattern.

So — what does all this mean for you?

By taking some time to examine your work and your results objectively, you’ll be able to take advantage of this principle and use it as a powerful tool to achieve better results.

#life-lessons #women-in-tech #science #self-improvement #education #data science