Page 62 - The Magic of Tiny Business
P. 62
Chapter Three Taking Tiny Steps
to let go of. For that I made up an 80/20 rule and thought
I was being original . . . but I was not.
The Pareto principle states that 80 percent of results
are produced from 20 percent of efforts. It’s an accepted
principle in business. In Tiny Business, 80/20 has another
layer. Consider that for every 80 percent of results, we
need to give ourselves a minimum of 20 percent permis-
sion to trip, stumble, or fail and reboot. Daily priorities
are a moving target. Your core—what you stand for—will
get challenged, too, but it shouldn’t change daily.
Soften Your Focus 20 Percent of the Time
The exercise of setting up rules and then having to break
them—which we know always happens—leads to a sense
of failure, a feeling that you’re not good enough. The orig-
inal intention gets lost in mind crap.
By setting up the 80/20 rule, you give yourself permis-
sion to break the rules for whatever comes up 20 percent of
the time. The point is we can’t control everything, and
being perfect isn’t a good strategy.
“
Nothing is risk-free . . .
”
Instead of going for 100 percent, focus and be on task
80 percent of the time and allow 20 percent for a softer
focus. That way you won’t waste time being mad at your-
self and thinking you’re a failure.
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