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I was talking to one of my friends about daily life occurrences and he brought up the Pareto Principle, which is also known as the 80/20 rule. In it’s fundamental meaning, it refers to the concept that 80% of wealth/income is held by 20% of the people, or 80% of the results comes from 20% of the work. I’ll leave the philosophical to the philosophical. I figured we could take that same principle and apply it to our everyday lives. Like I’ve said before, sometimes it’s the simple things…like using a Trojan as opposed to some bootleg brand because it was free. Well not really, but I felt like saying that. Nonetheless, let’s begin shall we?
S*x S*x S*x S*xy Time
We talk about s*x and headiepoo enough on this blog, so I figured I’d apply the 80/20 rule to that. Given that at least 90% of the readers here have had s*x, it’s safe to say that most of us like it a lot when it’s earth-shaking. In the context of a relationship, a lot of folks have shared their views on it’s importance in a relationship. Despite those who say it isn’t the most important aspect of a relationship, it definitely carries A LOT of weight.
For example, you could be dating someone and life seems peachy because the sex game is mean. You could have absolutely nothing else in common, but if the sex is pizzlin’, poppin’, hot to death, the relationship seems better than it really is. Good sex will also make you stay with someone longer than normal if other aspects of the relationship are failing. Given that there are so many elements of a relationship, I think for the purpose of this post I can say that good physical chemistry should/could be only about 20% of the relationship, but it can provide a helluva lot of the success/longevity. Of course this may not be applicable across the board, but it makes sense if you don’t take it to the extreme. Example…
Friend 1: Girl, you need to leave his ass. He ain’t good for you. Look at how crazy he got you actin.
Friend 2: I know, but he puts me to sleep better than Nyquil. Just last night he had me hittin them notes when he was givin them strokes.. I can’t walk wide-legged away from that…
Friend 1: Girl…is it really that good?
Friend 2: Yes.
Friend 1: Nevermind. Things will get better.
Aight, so that was a bit of an exaggeration but not really so I think you get my point.
The J-O-B
For most of us, our 9-5 doesn’t really require us to be there from 9-5. If you’re lucky enough to have Internet access from work, think of how much time you spend window shopping, reading blogs, visiting celebrity news sites, or hanging out on ESPN.com. If you don’t have Internet access, think of how much time you spend emailing friends and deleting. 20% of what you do daily may account for 80% of what they’re paying you for. Dude in Office Space was on to something. I’m not tryna be a construction worker though.
The Reversal
This example is the 80/20 rule in reverse. One of my other friends was tellin me about a bathroom incident. Not number uno…deuce bigaload. He was rushed out of the bathroom because he had to be somewhere. He said he accomplished 80% of the task, but only felt 20% relieved. The moral of this story…don’t rush your bathroom trips.
Bring It on Home Slim!
There are a lot of examples where the 80/20 rule or some percentage variation thereof has legitimacy in our daily lives. I had a few other examples, but thought it would be more entertaining to hear from the readers. What other examples can folks apply this to? Feel free to dispute any of my examples as well. I already had someone disagree and I didn’t even finish the post at that point.
Interestingly enough, 80% of our comments are provided by less than 20% of our daily visitors. Let’s change that statistic!
Don’t rush me when I’m sittin on the throne,
Twitter: @slimjackson Website: www.threewaystotakeit.com
I like the 80/20 rule that was applied in "Why Did I Get Married". Most men get 80% of what they need out of a marriage or relationship….yet they tend to go after the 20% that someone outside can provide because it appears to be more than what it really isn't…
Haha..Good one. I agree with this one, as it pertains to relationships.
Good morning everyone!
That rule in the movie is definitely a conversation starter. I would like to know though, what would the percentages be for women (given, it is a fallacy for you to speak for all women but you just did it for men so nicely!) or how it should be applied for women?
I know alot of women who deal with alot in relationships..I think the stats on that are probably around 70/30….but, I am sure the men will think "I need more people"…..lol.
I appreciate the answer. "The rule," I think can be a good thing b/c it can/will always keep you on your toes to do better, want more and be better for your career, present job, goals and love life.
On a side note, maybe I'm reaching but the shizz is kinda like "The Force!" When applied appropriately you can move mountains (not just an X-Wing Fighter) but the dark side of it could be addictive and lead to malice intent, power tripping or being all up in someone else kool-aide mix.
FYI, the numbers in the pareto rule mean nothing. It just means that one number is much higher than the other when comparing two things that are "supposed" to be proportionate
I feel you 100% on the 80/20 split on the J-O-B. Mine is more like 90/10 cuz in addition to all that other stuff, I'm able to work from home a good amount of time (eff 495 you feel me). With that being said though, I'm seriously looking for another job opportunity elsewhere as it's time to move on from this role and try something new (read: get MORE money among other things). In this case, if I don't make moves and go after that extra 20% (10%) I'm holding myself back in the long run. Food for thought, sure you got the 80% in the bag, but what are some situations where settling on that 80% WILL hold you back?
LMAO @ the duece bigaload. Omg. I'd hate to be washing his drawls.
I feel you on the 80/20. I do. I had a guy friend tell me once tell me that he learned from his father to apply the 80/20 to compromise in his relationship. Pop told him that as a man he should be expecting to work the hardest to keep the relationship w/ a loved one together. If it's true love w/ a chick, you should be willing to compromise. & if you feel like it's getting easy… check your stats. Does he do that now? No. According to him he's waiting on the love of his life to put that practice in place.
#DelonteWestshrug
80% of women are trying to date the same 20% of men and vice versa. Ladies,if we branch out and look outside of the typical alpha male our options increases our options tremendously.
i would agree with this but then again being an alpha male (not typical) i wouldn't. lol
That 80/20 rule definitely applies to the comments!
When working out, putting 20% into your diet will account for 80% reason why you wont have the body you desire.
80% of the work in an organization is usually performed by 20% of the people
OMG! AMEN.CHU'UCH.TABERNABLE.ALL RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS on the organization comment!
Oh & i tell my best friend who hangs on to this dude because of sex to leave him alone cause things haven't gotten better for her w/ him over the years but i don't try to stop her if she actively chases him for sex.
80% of the tweets in my timeline come from 20% of the people I follow.
guilty as charged. i do tweet a whole lot.
The Reversal: Hilariously True
I think the 80/20 rule can probably apply to all relationship/situations in life simply because of imperfection and selfishness – nothing we give to and nothing we receive from others can ever be 100%
80% of comments are made by 20% of readers.
@ whoever mentioned the issues with alpha males- YES.
@ whoever mentioned good D- YES.
80% of the chex i've ever had comes from 20% of the girls i've ever slept w/
I think the 80/20 rule applies most definitely to college. You only recall 20% of the knowledge and crap you learned, but you'll probably remember 80% of the fun times! Sadly, you pay for well over 100% of it.