The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less

The author explains that he was surprised there was a lot of articles about the 80/20 principle but no book on the subject... You bet, who would write a 250 pages book on something that could be explained in 3 minutes?The 80/20 principle itself is amazing indeed, but 95% of the points of this book come from 5% of its words. The same SINGLE idea is explained in 20 different contexts each repeated 20 times.Just read an article or introduction about the 80/20 principle and that's all you need to know really.

Some people have cynically commented that you only need to read 20% of this book, and the rest is all repetition.Those people do not actually understand the fractal nature of the 80/20 principle - how pervasive it is, or the extent to which you really need to immerse yourself in these concepts. Their opinions are worthless.I first read this book in 2003. I got to page 14 and Richard was explaining how 80/20 is closely related to chaos theory. I suddenly had an epiphany - making realizations that weren't even explicitly stated - and realized that inside every 80/20 is another 80/20, and another and another. 80/20 is fractal!Suddenly I looked out the window and saw 80/20 EVERYWHERE - in the trees, in the street, in the carpet in my house, in nearly every column of every spreadsheet in my business. Before I'd barely seen it at all, and even then only in the rear view mirror. After, I saw it everywhere all around me.At the time I was just starting to crack the code on Google AdWords, and I realized 80/20 is the key to pretty much everything in AdWords. And in marketing itself. 80/20 became my secret weapon. It was the backbone of AdWords and I included an 80/20 chapter in my very first ebook, "Definitive Guide to Google AdWords" which eventually became Entrepreneur Press's "Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords" which is the world's #1 book on internet advertising. It also inspired my book "80/20 Sales and Marketing."Richard makes a key observation, which is the difference between 80/20 ANALYSIS and 80/20 THINKING. Analysis is backward-looking. 80/20 Thinking is forward looking. When you know, in advance, that whatever you do is going to be 80/20 and nothing you do can change that, you artificially stack the deck to favor early successes. You kill your runts faster. You search for patterns that most people miss, and shortcut months or years of failure.Richard also delves into many subtleties of how 80/20 manifests in business, and how most businesses are losing money every time they sell 20% of their product line. This is a very big deal.I'm now reading this book, 13 years later, AGAIN (not sure how many times I've cracked it) and it's still producing new jewels. Yes, you can read 20% of this book and it could still potentially change your life. But if you understand 80/20, you should read that kind of book 5 times and you can be nearly certain that you'll get 10X your time investment back every single time.When Richard starts getting philosophical near the end about this applying to relationships and whatnot, don't give in to the temptation to think he's over-reaching. He's not. 80/20 is a fundamental axiom of cause and effect, one of the great secret laws of the universe.I've read a LOT of great books but this one tops the list. It's been worth many millions of dollars to me in my career.

Save 80% of your time by reading the title and nothing else. Input to output ratio is nonlinear in most circumstances. There is little value offered by reading this book if you accept the premise of the title.

This is the essential “go–to” book for our time–scarce, success–driven world. The 80/20 principle of Vilfredo Pareto is actually an old idea that is has become much in vogue recently with books published like “The Four Hour Workweek”. The idea is that efficiency—and success—in all areas of life can be boiled down to that essential 20% of “inputs” that makes the remaining 80% of “inputs” (people we associate with; stuff we sell; projects we do; anything that takes our time, effort or money) obsolete. Koch makes the case (rather exhaustively!) that the 80/20 principle can be applied to any area of one’s life or endeavors and that it inevitably improves things—often dramatically.The structure of the book is not ideal and can lead to cumbersome reading. The first half is an absolutely thorough (maybe too thorough?) analysis of every conceivable manifestation of 80/20 possible in one’s life. It’s a little too driven and one-dimensional, though I accept that the author believes it to be essential information to fully comprehending the subject matter. At the 50% juncture of the book, he kind of runs out of gas having exhausted every avenue of analysis and has to lard the rest of the book with other ideas, which, though interesting, are not enough to justify that much more copy. So, why still the 5-star review? In the second part of the book are several gems of knowledge so valuable that it justifies slogging through to the end. One such idea that blew my mind: the 40-Hour Workweek, 5 days a week, 40 year “typical” job that most people have nowadays has only existed for less than 200 years—a drop in the bucket in human history! (It is a byproduct of the factory schedule originating from the industrial revolution.) So, there is no reason people should assume that is the only option for employment or that such jobs will even continue to exist beyond the 200-year mark! We had all better be finding ways to succeed more with less…Buy this book, read it ALL, and start following its principles.

I have recently been on a kick for self improvement. This book caught my eye and I decided to give it a read, I am glad I did! Even though I finished it a couple of weeks ago, this book is still on my mind. The lessons, values and teachings in this book have really changed my mindset on how I look at productivity. I highly recommend this book if you are looking to either start again, or start anew.

This is a well made product that I believe will stand up well. Time will tell and will update towards winter.The lighter colors seem to be less transparent, if you are looking for more privacy. I have got compliments on the look and it was a perfect fit for my deck. I went with beige, a good choice as my view is waterfront. You can’t not see through this even with light on in background. It has held up to both wind and rain nicely.Good for digs that bark at passers by. My dog stopped barking as he can’t see them now, Lol.I think it is a good value for the price and I may get another as my deck is 60ft long.

This product is grossly misstated in its description. I ordered 3'x15' brown.It is NOT 15', but more than 16' long! The grommets are NOT spaced at 9" and 18", but 11" and 24"! It is NOT 200 gsm (as stated in two places) but 160 gsm (we have a 170 gsm screen by Colourtree and it is heavier). The grommets are NOT copper as stated. The edges are NOT reinforced, only the short 3' ends are.No one answers at the phone number provided, instead a voicemail comes on stating that it cannot accept messages. It is an inexpensive screen, but we feel it will not last long. With this product, you do get what you pay for.UPDATE: I just looked at their website and it states that all of their screens are 150 GSM!

I put this up to cover an ugly fence and it is really cute. I have walkway lights along it. was easy to put up with enclosed zip ties. Not too heavy either.. but still good quality and seems sturdy.

We've been living in our condo for 2 years and I've never really liked sitting out on my balcony because it faces the balconies of another building. No privacy at all. I had been searching for something to provide privacy but also be somewhat discreet and not too noticeable. Now I have privacy without really losing very much light.The other thing that I didn't really expect is that the screen also keeps the rain from getting on my balcony. We never realized before that the rain was coming through the slats of the railing. Whenever it rained hard, the water would puddle up on the balcony and it would take days for it to dry up on its own. Since putting up this screen we are able to sit out and actually enjoy the rain without getting wet.It was easy to attach to the railing. I purchased 24 inch heavy duty cable ties since our balcony railing is kind of thick. I simply cut them down after attaching to prevent the extra length of the ties from sticking out.This has been one of the best purchases we've made for our condo. We can actually enjoy our balcony in comfort and privacy!

I did not like that you couldn’t see at all through it even though I know this is the point, it should let some light in.

I love this itrm it blocks some of the wind that passes through my balcony. It is also great for privacy.

This is exactly what I wanted. When I want to see out, I fold it up and fasten with a bungie cord. When I want privacy, I lower it. It provides ample shade and privacy. They have endured 3 summer storms so far and are holding up well. I fasten then with velcro then I switched to white shoe strings and tied them onto the rails. It blends well and does not look tacky. Make sure when you cut it measure first so it will stretch all the way without any openings at the ends. Fast shipping. The color is a soft grey. Perfect for shading and privacy!

I bought this to use as a deck skirt to replace one we've had for over 20 years. I like that I could get different lengths to fit the large area but I wish I could get it smaller than 3 feet tall. This is supposed to be used as a screen so the length makes sense but for my purposes I would have loved it if I could have gotten it as 2 feet tall. There are hooks on both ends which works wonderfully because I ended up just folding it over and securing it that way. I can't speak to how it holds up as a privacy screen since I'm not using it that way but I don't think you can see through it that easily. The color was true to what's pictures and the fabric has a sturdy feel to it so I think it'll hold up well. The only negative I can think of is that one of the corners was frayed a bit so I'll have to keep an eye on that to make sure it doesn't unravel quickly or anything but so far I am pleased.

I have recently been on a kick for self improvement. This book caught my eye and I decided to give it a read, I am glad I did! Even though I finished it a couple of weeks ago, this book is still on my mind. The lessons, values and teachings in this book have really changed my mindset on how I look at productivity. I highly recommend this book if you are looking to either start again, or start anew.

Why You Should Read It: The principles in this book can literally add hours to your days and compound your happiness. It's worth a look. What's more important than having time?Average Read Time: 4.5 MinutesWe've all surely heard of the 80/20 Principle, or Pareto's Law as it's more formally known. It goes something like this:80% of the results come from 20% of the effort.It's often thrown around in business as nothing more than a buzzword. Few actually do a full 80/20 analysis of their business and almost no one I've come across has applied the same to their life as a whole. Other than two people that is: Richard Kock and Tim Ferriss-and the people who have since followed in their footsteps (me included). The 80/20 Principle is the source material for what Tim wrote in The 4-Hour Work Week. It took me reading it a couple times to grasp the simplicity and life-altering implications of the principle. The time saved and gained will blow your mind.The amazing thing is that the studies in this book show the principle working in just about every possible scenario. Of course it's not always 80/20. Sometimes 90/10 or 95/5 or even 70/30. But the point is it works-without fail.Richard's purpose was to explain this ancient principle in a way that would inspire action and application to every part of life. When applied to work, productivity will go through the roof, but when applied to your life outside of work, happiness and fulfillment do just the same. All it takes is a shift in thinking. Try the following for a few weeks and the time in your life will never be the same.5 ways to apply the 80/20 Principle to enhance your life:1. Do the 20% of your work that leads to 80% of your results: Track all the time you spend on projects each hour of each day for a week. How many of these things were necessary? How many got you closer to your goals? How many were a waste of time? How many could someone else have done? Pick the 20% of your tasks that yield 80% of the results and outsource or simply discontinue the rest. Wondering what to do with your remaining time? Enjoy life. I outsourced a significant portion of my work to two very reliable virtual assistants in India starting in 2006. Ravi and Vikash now do that 70 or 80% for me. At $3-5/hour it is very hard to beat. Check out [...] if you're looking to out source. Search "Virtual Assistant". Once you start outsourcing, you'll never go back.2. Locate the 20% of your customers who drive 80% of your profits: Find your top 20% customers (by profit, not revenue) and fire the rest. Yes, fire them. The goal is not to work your life away. It is to make a good living to enjoy your life. If you must work more, then list out the characteristics of your 20% customers and go out and find more of them. You will not believe how liberating it can be to fire a customer who's been a real pain in the ass.3. Prioritize the 20% of your friends who provide 80% of your support and enjoyment: If you apply 80/20 to your relationships you will surely find that a few people in your life provide the majority of your support, excitement, laughter and feelings of connection. On the other side, there is likely another 20% group of people who account for most your sleepless nights, tears, anger and frustration. If you don't want to feel this way, stop spending time around your bottom 20. Fire them and work on duplicating your top 20. This may sound a little calous, but it's not. It's practical. The quality of our life comes down to the quality of the people and experiences that fill it.4. Fill your life with the 20% of your experiences that provide 80% of your happiness: As humans, our two biggest priorities are to move towards pleasure and away from pain. As mentioned above, find the few people, things, places and experiences that provide 80% of your happiness, fulfillment, pleasure and excitement. Also find the things that cause you to feel the majority of your negative emotions. Focus your time on the top 20% and avoid the bottom 20% like the plague.5. Do the 20% of your workouts that lead to 80% of your physical gains: The majority of fitness results come from a small portion of most workouts. 80% of the muscle is built in the last 20% of the reps. Crossfit is a great example. The workouts are 7-14 minutes long on average but they provide more physical benefit than most hour-long workouts. Spending more time on something is not always a good thing. If you believe your workouts must take an hour then you'll likely miss a lot more of them. What if they only took 7 minutes, but that seven minutes really tested your limits? You're likely to show up a lot more often.I know this sounds simple. But few people stop to actually do it. It is truly possible to spend the majority of your time doing the things that you love. The only way to get there is taking Pareto's 80/20 principle seriously. It will make all the difference.Do not let more than 3 months go by without performing a full 80/20 breakdown of all areas of your life (especially your personal life). It will only take a couple hours and those hours will likely save days before you know it... 80/20 in action yet again.Somewhere along the path of life, most of us were taught to associate fulfillment and worth with the number of hours spent-thinking the more the better. This has lead many of us to working aimlessly just to say we filled the day. This IS NOT the goal. The goal is be fulfilled, happy, efficient, effective and more than anything else, to enjoy life. Happiness is a daily right. It is not something we need to work our ass off for years to finally achieve. That is what Pareto stumbled on all these years ago. I encourage you to do the same.

According to the author, you only need to read about 20 percent of this review to get 80 percent of the value! Over 100 years ago, Vilfredo Pareto "noted the consistently lopsided relationship between inputs and outputs" and ever since we've called it the 80/20 Principle. This statistical pattern that 20 percent of your effort produces 80 percent of the results is universal.This year, Richard Koch wrote a new and updated edition of his 10-year-old business classic, The 80/20 Principle. It's worth reading--or delegating to a team member to read and summarize at a staff meeting. The 80/20 principle is all around us: * 20 percent of your donors give 80 percent of the budget * 80 percent of your sales come from 20 percent of your customers * One-fifth of your time (equivalent to one day a week) produces 80 percent of your important work * 80 percent of your people problems come from 20 percent of your staff * 20 percent of your volunteers do 80 percent of the work * And how about your wardrobe--you likely wear 20 percent of your clothes about 80 percent of the time, right?If you care about results (corporate and personal) and you're not leveraging the 80/20 rule, you're wasting a lot of time. For example, read Koch's "Top-10 Low-Value Uses of Time" and pick two (20 percent) that tempt you often: 1) Things other people want you to do 2) Things that have always been done this way 3) Things you're not unusually good at doing 4) Things you don't enjoy doing 5) Things that are always interrupted 6) Things few other people are interested in 7) Things that have already taken twice as long as you originally expected 8) Things where your collaborators are unreliable or low quality 9) Things that have a predictable cycle 10) Answering the telephoneTwo of his "Top 10 Highest-Value Uses of Time" include "things that you can get other people to do for you with relatively little effort on your part," and "things for which it is now or never." Can you relate?Koch includes the science behind the concept and plenty of practical examples, including the top-10 business uses of the 80/20 Principle, such as how to negotiate. He also recommends imposing an impossible deadline to a project so the team will only do the highest value things.The book is an excellent companion to the Results Bucket, one of 20 buckets in my book,  Mastering The Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Non-profit . For example, at your next staff meeting discuss these two items: 1) Describe one of your annual goals and how it might reflect the 80/20 Principle; and 2) So now the obvious question is---how do we abandon those things in the 80 percent arena that contribute only 20 percent of our results?

My husband and I love our new 6 x 6 Alvantor Screen House Room Camping Tent Outdoor Canopy Dining Gazebo Pop Up Sun Shade Hexagon Shelter, especially in cool mornings. Before the tent, we would sit outside and try to read or drink our coffee, constantly vigilant for mosquitos, swatting at our legs and arms, always distracted. Now we are calm and relaxed, knowing that those wretched little flying vampires are on the other side of the mesh. The tent is very well made and the large zippers run smoothly, making it easy to enter and exit. When looking at it straight on, the mesh is almost invisible and allows us a clear view of nearby plants, flowers and hummingbirds. The tent’s a pretty beige color with a hint of maize. Sitting outdoors is now actually enjoyable. But do stand back when you first open it!Although I was concerned at first that the tent has no floor, I find this preferable. Our yard has pavers and gravel and we need to see where to put our two chairs, coffee table, and barstool (husband’s computer stand). An 8-inch wide extension of the tent’s fabric bottom runs the length of each side, tucking inside the tent to provide an additional barrier to unwelcome guests. The tent includes an attractive and well made carrying case, three sand bags (sand not included) and four tent stakes. We stabilized the tent using the sand bags and have not needed the stakes. There are hooks inside the tent to hang things like lights, hats or a lightweight shirt or cover.Although the inside of the tent is a bit warmer than the air outside, that’s OK, it happens with screens. The peace of mind that comes from not having to wonder if that little twinge on the skin is a mosquito, poised to bite, is priceless. Aaahhhh!

Well I bought it to use while camping however, I did not realize it was going to be as small as it was. Still when you're up along lake Superior North shore the black flies, horse flies and mosquitoes can lead you to want to jump off the cliff at the waterfall.!.. haha this will keep them away at camp!! I will need to purchase a larger one if I want it to go around my outdoor patio table! It is round with six chairs. Can make this work for the beach..keeps the flies from biting you! Just a few chairs and a little card table and it's all good. I love the fact that it just goes pop pop and it's up! If you want to stake it down(basically a must, you can't put it up without staking it down, the slightest wind will blow it away! it is extremely lightweight but it is a nice screen to keep the bugs away!) I recommend going to the hardware store and buying those really huge stakes in the nail section(12"X1/2"?) rather than the spindly little tiny things that come with most tents! I will however buy the larger one for camping up in lake Superior!

This product has seriously came in handy for us. We have a pretty serious hornet and bee problem, this canopy literally saved the day. My daughter and I can sit outside for hours now and enjoy ourselves. I don't have grass to tie down the tent, so I put it away once we are done. Once you get the hang of how open and close, it's super easy and convenient. I can't speak on it being waterproof, although it never states that it is. The shade is adequate but on a hot day I will put up our patio umbrella as another layer of protection. I bought the smallest one, to fit on the balcony. Like I said works for my daughter and I. I think we could fit 4 people in here, but it would definitely be an intimate setting. My only complaint, is that you do have to watch your step as your are entering and exiting the step. I think if we had grass and stretched it out, this wouldn't be such an issues. Definitely worth the buy. My sister has the 12 person one for her backyard. and we watch movies outside on the projector till 1am.

We bought the 12x12. It had been in my Cart-Save for Later for about a year. The friends we go camping with have a screened pop up that is old and cumbersome. They had to cancel last minute because of Covid and they had loaned out their pop up. So I bit the bullet and bought this. It was the best purchase I’ve made in a long time. It was very easy (a little scary at how fast it popped out!) to setup and once we got the hang of it, it was easy to take down. Definitely needed two to take down. It kept the bugs out better than what we used to use. It easily fit over the camping picnic table with room to spare. Couldn’t be happier.

Seriously. 360 degrees surround views. Light weight webbing/netting to keep out bugs. Hexagonal, so no tight square corners. Instant pop-up and down - less than a minute with a little practice. Too good to be true? Nope. But know this... The speed is for the tent/house only. It will take some time to stake it properly and sandbag the corners, which I highly recommend. This will give you a sturdy, no worries screen house. I recommend getting some cheap play sand from Walmart, etc to fill the included bags. In order to take it to the next level, get the optional sunblock panels and center pole to re-direct rain off of the tent. Add the custom fit footprint for a dry and more comfortable floor. The vendor even offers optional custom lighting for glamming. Also, included in the original purchase, is a screen repair kit for your boo boo if it happens. No - It's not water resistant - It's a screen house, not an armored tent. And for that purpose, it's about as good as you can get.

I was looking for a pop-up mosquito tent that was easy for me to set up and collapse by myself. This one does that, but it would be nice if I could collapse it back down to the half size that it came in when it was shipped to me. So far, I have been unable to do that without feeling I might permanently bend the wires out of shape .The other issue I have is that even though Alvantor stresses how important it is to stake the shelter securely, it only sends us eight stakes. To stake the shelter and then the eight guy lines down, you need 12. Perhaps, Alvantor wants us to use just one stake for the two guy wires at each corner, but if we were to do that it would be much less stable.It would be good for Alvantor to supply us with 12 stakes and to also tell us how to fold the shelter back down into the small shape that it comes in, as the enlarged folded-down shape takes up way more room in our vehicles.