less is massively MORE

Read time: 3 minutes

I started this 4 hour work week challenge for myself after reading Tim Ferriss' book (The 4-Hour Workweek)

(Ends up, I work more than 4 hours per week! Of course.)

Writing this post already took 30 minutes, that leaves me 3.5 hours for the week ahead.

4HWW is clickbait to most, but the underlying idea is worthy of being drawn in despite knowing full well it won't end up as just 4 hours. At least, not yet for me and to most of us.

What's the Deal about?

So what's the idea about? It is about re-programming ourselves to look at the way things are done. In short, to find a more efficient way or even to cut off work that shouldn't be done.

In my earlier years, the Parkinson's Law was at work in me unknowingly, where I would fill my worktime with the "trivial many" instead of the "vital few". Part of that also comes from corporate culture that wasn't as scrutinized as now.

Work expands to fill time for clock-in clock-out purpose - it leads to low levels of fulfillment, if at all.

Pareto Principle : The Solution

That led me to look for solutions and the one that resonates strongly is the 80/20 Principle or Pareto Principle. Some even called it the Steve Jobs' Rule after he cut off a LARGE chunk of product categories that are just not bringing in the dough. It was a bold move for anyone, but a brilliant one because it worked.

It's the same for our lives.

The 80/20 Principle states that 80% of results come from 20% of causes. This is a massive imbalance of causes versus rewards and has been proven in many aspects of life (not just work).

I discover by applying the 80/20 Thinking, I can stop doing activities that are non-productive. I pivot the use of that time to the other impactful 20%. I applied this in 2021 and 2022 in my business and the results are astoundingly true.

I was able to achieve more with less. It was not just a theory at all. I was hooked.

The Principle Is Not Static

However, in 2023, I had an early setback. Despite following the 80/20 Principle I set to a tee, my results plummeted in the first half before picking up after I made adjustments.

It turns out the 80/20 Principle is not a static variable.

What works yester-year or even yesterday is for that moment in time. Constantly as the business landscape evolves, the Principle holds but that crucial 20% has to be adjusted according to what is now relevant.

That's the beauty of it. It is not stagnant. It is alive, it is progressive just as life is.

Conclusion

I find the 80/20 Principle most helpful for entrepreneurs because of the vast volume of decisions they have to make and also because P&L is constantly top of mind. If this doesn't inspire you to find the most efficient way of running your business, probably nothing will.

However, it works for anyone who desires to castigate low productivity, improve the hand that nature has dealt (an uncontrollable variable), to frog leap forward and put a dent in the universe according to your individualities.?

Less is massively MORE sometimes.

Find this enriching? Please share this post and follow me Joo Kwang CHAN for LESS (20%) content.

If you like content on applying Pareto Principle to get the most out of your 24 hours, check out my weekly newsletter The Solo Recruiter for busy recruiters and solopreneurs.

#4HourWorkweek #ParetoPrinciple #8020rule #LessisMore