The beauty of the Pareto principle

“We are all just one small adjustment away from making our lives work.”

In the 2010 movie How Do You Know, George Madison, played by Paul Rudd, says this to Reese Witherspoon’s character Lisa. The quote reminds me of one principle that has become central to how I approach decisions and prioritise my time—the Pareto principle, or the 80/20 rule. This framework consistently shapes my everyday choices when I'm pulled in different directions and provides me with a sense of clarity and hope.

Roughly 20% of input is responsible for 80% of output.

The Pareto principle shows up in many areas of everyday life. We use only 20% of the words available in our language in roughly 80% of our speech. It’s usually the case that 80% of wealth is owned by 20% of people. If you own a business, it’s likely that 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients, or that 80% of your profit comes from 20% of the products or services you’re providing. When it comes to your closet, you wear roughly 20% of your clothes 80% of the time. Even on social media, it is very likely that 80% of the likes, comments, and shares you receive come from 20% of your posts. For software engineers, fixing the 20% most-reported bugs will likely result in an 80% decrease in errors experienced by users.

The 80/20 rule shows up pretty much everywhere we look — in nature, in social structures, in language, in just about every aspect of human behavior.

What the 80/20 rule tells us about life

The 80/20 rule is so powerful because it means that you can achieve 80% of your desired outcome by making only 20% of the necessary changes. This is why it’s commonly used as a guiding principle in learning.

If you’re learning a new language, then learning only one fifth of the language can get you 80% of the way towards fluency.

The same should go for any other subject or skill, whether it’s woodworking, public speaking, or theoretical physics: the best way to tackle a project, any project, is to start with the most important 20% of tasks.

But to me, the power of the 80/20 rule goes beyond productivity or learning a new skill. It’s also a rule which has helped my mental health and wellbeing. It’s the rule I use whenever I want to feel hope or comfort, or recover from a bad situation.

Because of the 80/20 rule, I know that, however difficult the circumstances may be, a 20% change will make things 80% better. And that gives me hope. I find a lot of comfort in the knowledge that something good is only 20% of the way away.

On some days, the 20% is nothing more than a long walk, a nice conversation, or a relaxing bath. Other days require more. But in all cases, the 80/20 rule still holds. You just need to find your 20%.

If you want to learn more about the Pareto principle, check out this excellent video by Vsauce.