Do You Know HOW to Work Smarter NOT Harder?
..the answer is not by working harder
GOAL: Identifying the 20% of the 20% is the way to work smarter
Most of us have heard of the 80/20 rule. It is also called Pareto principle after the famed Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto in 1896. Based on this principle, it is believed that 20 percent of our activities produce 80% of our results.
What the 80/20 rule teaches us is to spend some time to think through what really makes up the 20%. Once you see this clearly then we should focus on those 20% and minimize our efforts towards the 80%.
If we take that to the next level then what are the 20% of the 20%, 4%, that truly must be the most important actions that we should be taking? This will give us 64% benefits. This is 80% of the 80%.
Suppose we have 100 things we should be doing. We should determine the 20% of the 20% or 4 top items we should be focusing on. These 4 things will produce 64% of the benefits or outcomes that will be beneficial.
Why is this important?
In last couple of articles we talked about how to improve the inputs into our heads, how to capture and make executable the raw data that we obtain, and with this last piece how to focus on the 4% inputs that give us the 64% of the outputs(benefits).
We have to remember that as humans we judge ourselves based on what we are capable of while others judge us based on what we have produced. By identifying and focusing on the 4% we will be more successful at executing the right things that produce the best results. This is what working smarter NOT harder means.
Now you know…
I got to go…my future self alarm went off
Robert Trajkovski is professional with experience in leading people and projects in Steel/ Power, Refining, Chemicals, Industrial Gasses, Software, Consulting and Academia. He has worked for both owners and engineering companies. In addition, he has instructed 73+ courses at several institutions and often offers his courses for free on LinkedIn.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberttrajkovski/
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