Principle 44: See the Big Picture

Focus on the 20% of things that give you 80% fulfillment

Have you heard of the Pareto principle? In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto wrote that 80% of the land in the Kingdom of Italy was owned by 20% of the population. Yes, I know, nothing changes, right? But the point was to notice an interesting 80-20 rule that has since been applied to many different fields:

• 80% of a business’s sales come from 20% of its customers

• 80% of your personal productivity comes from 20% of your daily tasks

• 80% of your personal well-being comes from 20% of your habits

For example, how much of your day is spent on exercise? Even if you do it daily, it’s not more than 20% of a day, yet doesn’t that contribute to a large part of your well being?

So the key to this principle is to notice which habits benefits you, and concentrate on those habits to get the most value out of them. Conversely, if you find habits that do not contribute to your well-being, this analysis can help you lessen those bad habits.

But how can you identify these?

Stop and look at the big picture. Sometimes that means standing outside of your life for a moment and analyzing it.

Have you ever been in a large hedge row maze? Those hedges are over your heads, so you really never get a big picture of the maze. They often build a tower in the middle of the maze for that very reason. You can climb up the tower and now you can see the whole maze, and where you’ve been going wrong. If you want to cheat, you can even take a picture!

The point is you sometimes have to stop running through the maze of life, climb a tower, and get a sense of what is working and what is not. Then do more of what is working and less of what isn’t.

It’s the best way to get through life’s twisty turns. And finding that 20% of your life that makes the biggest difference.