Tokyo must be one of the busiest cities I've lived in and everyone seems constantly rushed off their feet. So, with this blog in mind I decided to write about something loosely related to saving time.
The Pareto Principle, better known as the 80/20 rule, states that 80% of the results from any series of actions are caused by 20% of the actions themselves. In other words, most of the success we achieve comes from a small minority of our actions. The rest are either wasted or produce little of value, despite the amount of time we may spend on them. Some everyday examples of this include: 80% of delays in schedule arise from 20% of the possible causes of the delays, companies have 80% or their revenues from just 20% of their products and on a micro level you may make 80% of your phone calls to just 20% of your acquaintances. Clearly this is not an exact science and the 80/20 is just a rule of thumb for the general principal at work. The value of the Pareto Principle is that it reminds you to focus on the 20 percent that matters most. This general concept can be applied to almost anything, not least studying.
Most study involves vast amounts of reading which can be very time consuming. Applying the Pareto Principle can help with this. For instance, rather than spending 3 hours to read 3 articles in detail (which may not be relevant to you), spend 5 minutes glancing through 12 articles (1 hour) and then spend an hour each on the two best ones (2 hours). Likewise, in terms of language learning it makes sense to focus on those words or grammatical structures that are most frequently used - you don't need to know a grammar book back-to-front to be an effective communicator. In test prep, those question types that occur most often, or those strategies with the biggest impact, may also fall into the 20% category. Using this general idea to focus your studies on key areas can help you manage your time more efficiently, while still achieving your goal.
Some people do strive for 100% perfection. However, in most situations we have neither the time nor resources to achieve a perfect score or learn every detail. Focusing on the critical 20% is an effective strategy to optimize your bang for your buck. In the case of standardized tests, your ability to identify the areas of the test that have the biggest impact on your overall score is crucial. Similarly, in the admissions process schools may place more emphasis on certain areas of your application; some schools may place more importance on personal essays while others may focus more on test scores or interviews. Identifying the most important areas and how they relate to your strengths and weaknesses will inevitably give you a better chance of success. The most important point is to identify what activities generate the best results and give them your appropriate attention.
Sometimes it can be difficult to identify what exactly are the most important areas to focus on as everybody's situation is different. Doing a little research, taking practice tests and having counseling sessions with your teacher are some of the tools at your disposal to help you figure out what is most important for you. Although all this may seem equally time consuming, it will pay off in the long run.
The point of the Pareto principle is to recognize that most things in life are not distributed evenly. Therefore it is often a good idea to make decisions on allocating time, resources and effort based on this. Remember, if you have to miss out something in your study plan, make sure it's not part of the 20 percent that matters most.
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Posted By: Paul Arrowsmith on October 15, 2008
