When the 80/20 Rule Fails: The Downside of Being Effective

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Audrey Hepburn was an icon.

Rising to fame in the 1950s, she was one of the greatest actresses of her era. In 1953, Hepburn became the first actress to win an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a BAFTA Award for a single performance: her leading role in the romantic comedy Roman Holiday.

But then something funny happened: she stopped acting. Despite being in her 30s and at the height of her popularity, Hepburn basically stopped appearing in films after 1967.

Instead, she switched careers. She spent the next 25 years working tirelessly for UNICEF, the arm of the United Nations that provides food and healthcare to children in war-torn countries. She performed volunteer work throughout Africa, South America, and Asia.

Hepburn’s first act was on stage. Her next act was one of service. In December 1992, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her efforts, which is the highest civilian award of the United States.

Efficient vs. Effective

You get one, precious life. How do you decide the best way to spend your time?

Many will suggest that you focus on being effective rather than being efficient.

Efficiency is about getting more things done. Effectiveness is about getting the right things done. Peter Drucker, the well-known management consultant, once encapsulated the idea by writing, “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”

In other words, making progress is not just about being productive. It’s about being productive on the right things. But how do you decide what the “right things” are? One of the most trusted approaches is to use the Pareto Principle, which is more commonly known as the 80/20 Rule.

The 80/20 Rule is like a form of judo for life and work. By finding precisely the right area to apply pressure, you can get more results with less effort. It’s a great strategy, and allows for prioritization and resource optimization.

The Downside of the 80/20 Rule

In 1967, Audrey Hepburn could have used the 80/20 Rule to determine her best career path, which would likely lead her to focus on more romantic comedies, as they were successful and lucrative. However, while this would maximize her earnings and potentially benefit her UNICEF charity work, it wouldn't align with her deeper desire to serve others. The downside of the 80/20 Rule is that it might not initially highlight paths that feel personally fulfilling or aligned with one's true goals, like Hepburn's wish to serve rather than act. The downside of being effective is that you often optimize for your past rather than for your future. It is based on things that have worked in the past.

The 80/20 Rule will help you find the useful things in your past and get more of them in the future. But if you don’t want your future to be more of your past, then you need a different approach.

In conclusion, with enough time and practice, something that initially seems ineffective can become highly effective. When Audrey Hepburn shifted focus from acting to volunteering in 1967, it seemed like a less impactful use of her time. However, decades later, her dedication earned her the Presidential Medal of Freedom—something unlikely to have happened if she'd stuck to acting. New ventures often appear inefficient at first, but that doesn't mean they're the wrong choice.

Enjoy an efficient weekend, folks! Kindly share and leave a comment on what you think.

Source: James Clear