The Promise
After this chapter, you'll be able to: (1) identify the 20% of your activities, clients, habits, or relationships that create 80% of your results, (2) design a simple system to focus on what matters and cut what doesn't, and (3) apply the 80/20 principle to at least one area of your life this week.
What 80/20 Actually Means
Lisa ran a small consulting business. She had 15 clients, but when she looked at her revenue, she noticed something: 3 clients (20%) generated 85% of her income. The other 12 clients took up most of her time but contributed very little. She was working hard, but not smart.
This is the 80/20 principle: a small number of inputs create most of the outputs. It shows up everywhere:
- 20% of your clients probably generate 80% of your revenue
- 20% of your habits probably drive 80% of your health
- 20% of your relationships probably provide 80% of your support
- 20% of your tasks probably produce 80% of your results
The numbers aren't always exactly 80/20—sometimes it's 90/10 or 70/30. The point is: results are uneven. A few things matter a lot. Most things don't matter much.
This isn't a metaphor or a management technique. It's how complex systems work. When things interact and multiply (like in markets, networks, or your own life), results cluster around a few big wins and many small ones.
Why We Miss It
Most people assume results are evenly distributed. They think:
- "If I work on 10 projects, each should contribute 10% to my success"
- "If I have 20 clients, each should be worth about 5% of my income"
- "If I do 20 things for my health, each should matter equally"
But that's not how it works. In reality, one project might be worth 50% of your success, while the other 9 combined are worth the other 50%. One client might pay 60% of your bills, while the other 19 split the rest.
We miss this because:
- We spread attention evenly: It feels fair to give everyone equal time, but fairness doesn't create results.
- We're afraid to cut: Saying no feels risky, so we keep everything and dilute our focus.
- We optimize for busyness: Having 20 clients feels more impressive than having 3, even if the 3 make more money.
The solution: find your 20% and focus there. Cut or minimize the rest.
How to Find Your 20%
Here's a simple exercise. Pick one area of your life (work, health, relationships, finances) and ask:
- What are all the inputs? List everything: all your clients, all your habits, all your relationships, all your tasks.
- What are the outputs? Revenue, health, happiness, results—whatever you're measuring.
- Which inputs create which outputs? Be honest. Look at the data, not your feelings.
Example: If you're a freelancer, list all your clients and their revenue. You'll probably find that 2-3 clients generate most of your income. Those are your 20%.
Example: If you're tracking your health, list all your habits (sleep, exercise, diet, supplements, meditation, etc.) and rate their impact. You'll probably find that sleep and exercise matter way more than the rest. Those are your 20%.
The goal isn't to be perfect. It's to see the pattern. Once you see it, you can act on it.
What to Do With Your 20%
Once you've identified your 20%, do three things:
- Double down: Spend more time, energy, and resources on the things that work. If 3 clients generate 80% of revenue, prioritize them. If sleep drives 80% of your health, protect it.
- Cut the 80%: Stop doing things that don't matter. Fire low-value clients. Drop habits that don't move the needle. Say no to opportunities that don't align with your 20%.
- Automate or delegate the rest: For things you can't cut but don't want to focus on, automate or delegate them. Use templates, scripts, or hire help.
Lisa (the consultant) did this. She:
- Raised rates for her top 3 clients (they were already getting most of her time anyway)
- Fired 8 of her lowest-value clients
- Kept 4 mid-tier clients but put them on a retainer with limited hours
Result: She worked 30% fewer hours, made 20% more money, and had more time to focus on her best clients. Her stress dropped because she wasn't juggling 15 relationships anymore.
The Focus Multiplier
Focus isn't just about doing less. It's about compounding.
When you focus on your 20%, you get better at it. Better results lead to more opportunities. More opportunities let you be more selective. Being more selective lets you focus even more. It's a positive loop.
But when you spread yourself thin, you stay mediocre at everything. You never get good enough at anything to stand out. You're always busy but never excellent.
The difference:
- Spread thin: 10 clients, $5,000 each = $50,000 total, but you're stressed and can't scale
- Focused: 3 clients, $20,000 each = $60,000 total, and you have time to think and grow
Same revenue, completely different life. The focused person has time to build leverage. The spread-thin person is stuck trading hours for dollars.
Strategic Neglect
To focus on your 20%, you have to neglect the 80%. This feels wrong because we're taught that balance is good and saying no is rude.
But balance is a myth when it comes to results. The people who win big don't balance everything—they focus on what matters and ignore the rest.
Strategic neglect means:
- Saying no to good opportunities so you can say yes to great ones
- Letting some relationships fade so you can deepen the important ones
- Stopping activities that feel productive but don't create value
- Accepting that you can't do everything and choosing what to do well
This isn't arrogance. It's realism. You have limited time and energy. You can't optimize everything. So optimize the things that actually matter.
From Idea to Action
This week, do this exercise for one area of your life:
- Pick one area: Work, health, relationships, or finances. Don't try to do all of them at once.
- List all inputs: Write down everything. All clients, all habits, all relationships, all tasks—whatever applies to your area.
- Measure outputs: For each input, measure its impact. Revenue per client. Health impact per habit. Emotional value per relationship. Results per task.
- Identify your 20%: Which inputs create 80% of your outputs? Be honest. Use data, not feelings.
- Make one change: Either:
- Double down on your 20% (spend more time/energy there)
- Cut one thing from your 80% (stop doing something that doesn't matter)
- Automate or delegate one thing from your 80% (free up time for your 20%)
Examples:
- Work: If 3 clients generate 80% of revenue, raise their rates or give them more attention. Fire your lowest-value client.
- Health: If sleep and exercise drive 80% of your health, protect your sleep schedule and commit to 3 workouts per week. Stop worrying about supplements and perfect diets.
- Relationships: If 2-3 people provide 80% of your support, schedule regular time with them. Let other relationships be more casual.
- Tasks: If 20% of your tasks create 80% of your results, block time for those tasks first. Batch or eliminate the rest.
Start with one area. Once you see the pattern, you'll start seeing it everywhere. Then you can apply it to other areas.