The 80/20-20/80 Rule

There is a common saying among consultants, coaches, and successful people, that says, “Anything you measure will improve.” The meaning is that the simple act of paying attention to something will cause it to improve. This has been tested time and time again and seems to always be the case. In fact, this is the “secret” of many consultants and coaches. Simply having your client/athlete start measuring their progress will cause their results to improve. Solid advice. However, the real power behind that “secret” is knowing how and what exactly to measure.
The simple part is measuring that which you want to improve. From this act of measuring you will enjoy pretty good results and achieve about 80% of your goal. Achieving the remaining 20% and thus enjoying great results is where the bulk of time, energy, and focus lie. Welcome to the 80/20-20/80 Rule.
The 80/20-20/80 Rule states that in order to get 80% of the results you desire requires that you do 20% of the work needed. And in order to get the remaining 20% of the results requires that you apply the remaining 80% of the work.
In other words, the act of starting to work on a goal (applying 20%) will return ‘pretty good’ results (80% of the goal). It is in the remaining 20% towards the goal that the majority of effort, focus, and discipline, are needed. A good example of this are in grades in school. For most classes, simply showing up everyday (20% effort) will result in a ‘pretty good’ grade. On a standard grading scale, 80% is in the C+ to B- range, depending on the instructor, which is indeed ‘pretty good’. This is where that remaining 80% work needed comes into play. In order to break through that last 20% needed to achieve 100% of the goal (an A/A+ in this case) a significantly increased amount of studying, effort and focus are needed.
This is why there are so many people who are doing ‘pretty good’ in life and there are less people doing ‘great’. Starting a project or towards a goal is relatively easy. It is the discipline and “sticking to it” that are the hardest aspects. It takes a significant amount of discipline, attention to detail, and effort to go from a C+/B- to an A+. Just look at all the diets out there that people have tried with ‘pretty good’ results. They all seem to work to a point, but most of them don’t end up producing a body that looks like Brad Pitt or Heidi Klum (fortunate genetics aside). Any diet will work up to a ‘pretty good’ level because they all obey the 80/20-20/80 Rule – simply start the diet and pay attention to what you are doing and you will achieve ‘pretty good’ results. Also, any coach/consultant you hire will work up to a ‘pretty good’ level because, again, they obey the 80/20-20/80 Rule. For that matter, simply paying attention and measuring your own progress, establishing your goal, and starting on that path towards your goal will result in achieving ‘pretty good’ results. Many people are doing just this; creating a plan for themselves and following it pretty closely. If a C+/B- outcome or ‘pretty good’ results are all that you desire, then you are all set.
However, if you desire the remaining 20% and want an A+ or ‘great’ results, be prepared to go an extra 80% and exert the high level of discipline, laser-like focus, and effort required. If you really want that ‘great’ level of success, be prepared to work hard, face difficult challenges, question your ‘pretty good’ ideas, as well as feel uncomfortable and possibly a good deal of physical and/or mental pain from time to time. The initial 80% towards a goal is not very painful and not that difficult. It is the remaining 20% that is painful, difficult, and will challenge the way you think and feel. Change is painful. No matter what type of change, whether it is psychological, physical, or societal. Many great changes in history have been revolutionary and very painful for the people or societies involved. This is what separates the ‘pretty good’ from the ‘great’ - the ability to endure the challenge of exerting that 80% and overcome fear, pain, and the desire to quit.
So think about the 80/20-20/80 Rule the next time you are setting a goal for yourself. Do your best to stay aware of the effort, focus, and discipline that will be required to go from starting out to ‘pretty good’, in relation to that needed to go from ‘pretty good’ to ‘great”. As you get closer and closer to your goal, you should experience that more and more effort, focus, and discipline are required. This is the point where most people will quit. Do your best to remember the 80/20-20/80 Rule.
In fact, write down “80/20-20/80” on a 3x5 card and tape it to your bathroom mirror, computer monitor, or bulletin board. This will serve as a reminder (hopefully throughout everyday) to stick to your goal and ACTIVELY WELCOME the increased effort, focus, and discipline that are required as you get closer to your goal!
-DrTri