Pea is for productivity: prioritise the vital few tasks

We all have moments where time just disappears. Do you feel like too many tasks are fighting for your attention? Concerned that you don’t seem to be making much progress despite putting in a lot of time & effort? By prioritising a few vital tasks, you can get the greatest impact from your efforts.

“For many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes”

(Vilfredo Pareto)

What is the Pareto Principle?

In 1896, Vilfredo Pareto was picking peas in his garden when he noticed that some pea pods had more peas in than others. He counted the peas in each pea pod and noted that 80% of the peas came from 20% of the pods. As an economist, he tested this observation further by looking at wealth and land distribution in Italy and discovered that 80% of Italy’s land was owned by 20% of the population.Watch the origin story of the Pareto principle below. 

Today this 80/20 pattern, known as Pareto principle in his honour, is seen everywhere. It’s important to note that it isn’t always exactly 80/20; the principle teaches us that the majority of the outputs/outcomes are created by a ‘vital few’ things. For example:

  • 80% of your income will be spent on 20% of your things (mortgage, food etc)

  • 80% of your work will come from 20% of your customers

  • In the charity world 80% of your donations will come from 20% of your supporters.

What's eating into your time?

Pareto’s 80/20 rule can be applied to many things in your personal and professional life. See our infographic below for examples. Can you think of any more? 

Your time at work is precious

To provide the best service for your end users, you need to focus your time on vital tasks that add value for your customers. You can use this principle at work by identifying the vital few and focusing your efforts there. For example:

  • If you need to reduce costs, then focus on the 20% of things that cost you 80% of your budget

  • If you need to improve customer experience, then focus on the 20% of services that account for 80% of your customer interactions

Focusing on the vital few will ensure you get the greatest impact for your efforts.

How to apply the Pareto principle

In the video below, I’ll show you how to complete a Pareto analysis. I use the example of how often different demands occur in a particular week. I’ll show you how to analyse this data and present the information in a graph. If you have any questions, email us at hello@ad-esse.com.

Another Pareto story - from the man himself!

“If you’re Noah, and your ark is about to sink, look for the elephants first, because you can throw over a bunch of cats, dogs, squirrels, and everything else that is just a small animal and your ark will keep sinking. But if you can find one elephant to get overboard, you’re in much better shape.”

(Vilfredo Pareto)

“[Ad Esse provide] tools to ensure our people’s development is woven into the daily fabric of working life and regular operations, daily routines, and conversations.”

(Kam Basra, Head of Transformation at Citizen)

The work you do is important – your end users rely upon the service you provide. Remember, 20% of your tasks take up 80% of your time, so make sure you’re working on the tasks that add value! Applying the Pareto principle to your activities is an effective way to improve your productivity and identify areas for problem solving.

If you have any questions or need help with your Pareto analysis, ask us by emailing hello@ad-esse.com.