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The 80/20 Principle of Why You’re Working Harder, Not Smarter (and How to Fix It)

Arfiana Maulina
4 min readJan 5, 2025

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Photo by Ales Krivec on Unsplash

There was a time when I believed the harder I worked, the more success I’d achieve.

I packed my to-do list with endless tasks, convinced that every effort would pay off.

Yet, no matter how much time I spent, the results rarely matched the energy I put in.

Then I discovered the 80/20 Principle, and everything changed.

Popularized by economist Vilfredo Pareto, this principle states that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts.

It’s not just a rule it’s a wake-up call.

The 80/20 Principle challenges the way we think about productivity, success, and priorities.

It asks us to reflect on what truly matters and forces us to face the uncomfortable truth: most of what we do doesn’t really make a difference.

The 80/20 Principle (also known as the Pareto Principle) is deceptively simple:

  • In any given situation, a small percentage of inputs produces the majority of outputs.
  • For example, 20% of customers generate 80% of revenue.
  • Or 20% of your tasks create 80% of your results.

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Arfiana Maulina
Arfiana Maulina

Written by Arfiana Maulina

Marketing | Sustainability | Content Creator @arfianamaulina

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