Or as a simple rule for self-help, 20% of your effort makes up 80% of your success.

The principle was discovered by the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who first realized that 20% of the pea pods in his garden were responsible for 80% of all the peas, and then that 80% of all the land in Italy was owned by just 20% of its people.

Over time, the principle became a valuable rule of thumb that allows our mind to understand all sorts of complex distributions, focus on the essentials, and prioritize what to do next.

Business owners, for example, often realize that about 80% of a company's income comes from just 20% of the customers, and as a result, know who to give special attention to.

Constructors who find out that 20% of the hazards result in 80% of the injuries can take important precautions to eliminate risks.

And software engineers who know that fixing the top 20% of the most reported bugs eradicates 80% of errors can spend their time on these top 20 and let the other 80% continue bugging people.

However useful the rule may be, Pareto himself warned against relying too much on the principle when he said, And so they look for and always find some theory which, a posteriori, makes their actions appear to be logical.

If that theory could be demolished scientifically, the only result would be that another theory would be substituted for the first one and for the same purpose.

What do you think of the 80-20 rule?

Where can it be applied?

And where do we need a more thorough analysis to fully understand what's going on?

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

But beware, 20% of the responses might make up 80% of the conversation.

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