| Manage your time by the numbers |
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 Although you may not recognize the name Vilfredo Pareto, you have probably seen many a reference to his economic discovery, known as the 80/20 rule. Pareto found that the top 20 percent or the “vital few” took precedence over the bottom 80 percent or “trivial many” in a host of economic and social settings.Business experts use the 80/20 rule to show us that 20% of our customers will account for 80% of our sales. It follows that 20% of our products or services will account for 80% of our profits. Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald’s, created his empire on this concept, using a limited menu to satisfy the tastes of the majority of customers. Productivity experts cite the 80/20 rule to remind us to use most of our time and effort for the activities that will further our top priorities. Look at your To Do list using the 80/20 rule as a filter. Your tasks aren’t all equally important in terms of your priorities. If you have 8 tasks on your list, identify the 2 tasks that are the most significant for furthering a particular project in you work or personal life. These are your vital few and deserve 80% of your time and effort. Your high priority tasks may not take much extra time, but they should be first on your list. Do them first. Then devote the rest of your time, presumably the other 20%, to the less important tasks or trivial many. When I hear people complain that they don’t get anything done during the work day, I usually assume that they are not prioritizing their task list. As a result, they may be expending time and energy on low value tasks that don’t help them reach their goals. Knowing where to put your focus and energy is a huge step towards getting the worthwhile things done. About the Author: Helen Kornblum, MA © Helen Kornblum, MA, is a Professional Organizer. She owns Natural Order Organizing, (352)871-4499 or www.NaturalOrderOrganizing.com. Her columns on business and home appear hear regularly and on The Gainesville Voice the first and third Thursdays of the month. |