Pareto Principle
Also known as: 80/20-Rule
The pareto principle is a heuristic that says a small share of causes often produces a large share of results First noted by economist Vilfredo Pareto in wealth distributions, it generalizes to many heavy-tailed systems:
- 20% of features drive 80% of usage
- 20% of customers generate 80% of revenue
- 20% of bugs cause 80% of incidents
That said, the exact ratio isn't sacred. It could also be 90/10 or 70/30.
Attention
Some low-impact tasks are hygiene or risk control. Metrics can mislead and the vital few can change, so make sure to recheck regularly.
It reframes productivity from "do more" to "do the right few".
By finding high-leverage activities, you reduce effort, complexity and opportunity cost
while increasing impact.