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96 Minutes a Day That Will

CHANGE YOUR LIFE

“Action expresses priorities.”

-Mahatma Gandhi

In my previous article, The Art of Possibility, I suggested that you project yourself into the future by writing yourself a letter dated for a year from now. And I promised you some tips to help you set your insights into motion.

This month I encourage you to take some time to create a list of daily or weekly rituals that will support you in attaining the milestones you want to accomplish over the next twelve months.  Sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference in the long run. (Read my article: The Ripple Effect: Small Steps Lead to Big Results .) 

What actions do you choose to take that will lead to better health, success, and greater meaning and fulfillment in your life?  Write down some specific intentions so you can review them frequently.  For example:   

• Take the dog for a brisk morning walk for 30 minutes right after getting out of bed.  During the walk, visualize how I want my day to be.

• When I enter my office, take 10 minutes to review my tickler file and clarify the three most important areas of focus for the day. Then spend the next 96 minutes* (8:30-10:06 AM) focusing on those three areas. Do this before checking email.  Do not answer the phone during this focus time.

• Leave the office by 6 PM. Do not bring work home.

• Have dinner as a family at least three weeknights each week.  

• Be in bed by 10 PM so I get 8 hours of sleep each night.

• Do my weekly planning on Fridays for the coming week.  Schedule all of the things mentioned above into my calendar so I have a plan for making them happen.

*Why the odd number of 96 minutes above?  Because of the Pareto Principle – the 80/20 rule (see below).  Twenty percent of an eight-hour workday is 96 minutes!  This is really powerful stuff, so I hope you'll keep reading...

The Pareto Principle

An effective management tool

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule,

but to schedule your priorities.”

  -Stephen Covey

In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto created a mathematical formula to describe the unequal distribution of wealth in his country, observing that 80 percent of the land in Italy was owned by 20 percent of the population.  After Pareto made his observation and created his formula, many others observed similar phenomena in their own areas of expertise.

In the 1940s, Quality Management pioneer, Dr. Joseph Juran, recognized a universal principle which he called the "vital few and trivial many.”  A lack of precision on Juran's part made it appear that he was applying Pareto's observations about economics to his own observations.  As a result, Juran’s observation of the "vital few and trivial many" became known as Pareto's Principle – commonly known today as the 80/20 rule. 

The 80/20 Rule means that with anything -- time, resources, space, etc. -- a few (20 percent) are vital and many (80 percent) are trivial.  In Pareto's case it meant 20 percent of the people owned 80 percent of the wealth. In Juran's initial work, he identified that 20 percent of the defects caused 80 percent of the problems.

Here are some examples of how we can apply the 80/20 rule.  See if you recognize any that hold true for you.

• 80% of what you file away is never referenced again; the other 20% is what you use regularly.

• 20% of your products account for 80% of product sales.

• 80% of your measurable results will come from 20% of the items on your "to-do" list.

• 20% of your people produce 80% of your results.

• 80% of decisions come from 20% of meeting time.

• 80% of your managerial concerns are caused by 20% of the problems.

• 80% of a manager's interruptions come from the same 20% of people.

• 80% of customer complaints are about the same 20% of your products or services.

The value of the Pareto Principle is that it reminds us to focus on what matters. Focus 80% of your time and energy on the 20% of your work that is really important, since only 20% of your activities really matter. Those 20% produce 80% of your results. The key is to identify and focus on those things.  If something isn't going to get done, make sure it's not part of the “vital few” activities you are putting on the back burner.

Today we have more responsibilities and choices pulling at us than ever before.  Consistent application of this rule will lead to dramatically improved productivity. While the rule is not an absolute, you can use it as a guide and reference point to ask whether or not you are truly focusing on the 20% (the Vital Few), or the 80% (the Trivial Many).

True progress results from a consistent focus on those top 20% of your most critical objectives.

July is Cultivate Your Character Month… a great time to take inventory of areas in your life that need your attention. 

Americans celebrate Independence Day on July 4.  In a physical sense, most of us enjoy freedom. In an emotional or psychological sense, however, an estimated 80% of the population put them-selves into a self-imposed prison cell on a regular basis (another 80/20 rule!)  We forfeit our freedom of choice through our own thought processes.

Ready to bust loose? 

I guarantee that if you do these three things, you will break free of past limitations and experience dramatic results in your life:

1. Create a list of daily or weekly rituals that will support you in attaining the milestones you want to accomplish over the next twelve months.  Commit to forming new habits with these rituals.

2. Carve out 96 minutes a day to focus on your most important projects or focus for the day.

3. Work with an accountability partner who will support you as you form new habits.

I love to hear about your progress.  Please e-mail me at kathy@orgcoach.net to share your transformational changes as you break free of past limitations and form new, productive habits.  I'd love to hear how these ideas are working for you.