80/20 Principle

What Hacker News says

1. tmalyDec 2019
   Getting Things Done - the 2001 version I read two years ago, I use the general idea and it helps to have a clear head when your fighting fires daily.

   Never Split the Difference - some very practical negotiation strategies.

   Mini Habits by Stephen Guise - short book but awesome method. I am still doing the one pushup habit since last March.

   How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck by Steve Stockman - I wanted to improve my video production for my programming course for kids. I am still learning but this book has been a huge help.

   The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking by Barbara Minto - huge help with improving my written communication at my job.

   The Coaching Habit by Michael Stanier - short book but huge help when your transitioning to managing people.

   Made to Stick by Dan Heath - was a huge help in planning how I would teach elementary students last month about programming.

   The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch - aside from application of Pareto principle, I took away the idea that books provide the best bang for your buck for knowledge density.

   The 4 Hour Work Week - great inspiration to start your own thing.

   The $100 Startup - like the 4HWW but with more details.

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2. tmalyDec 2016
   The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch. I put off reading it years back when I heard about the principle when I read the 4 hour work week. I thought just a simple groking of the idea was enough. This past year I came across a few posts where people mentioned it, and I decided to give it a read. Well worth it if you are looking for a better way to be more effective.
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3. clockwork_189Dec 2012
   I would highly recommend the following books: 1) Gettings things done (It is kinda plain, but if you stick through it, you will get some great advice on time management techniques) 2) How to win friends and Influence People (Probable the best book on communication and interacting with people that I have read.) 3) Good to great (Great advice on building a company) 4) The 80/20 Principle (Great advice on time management and doing more with less) 5) The millionaire teacher (Great advice into playing the investment market game for people who have never invested before.)
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4. iex_xeiMay 2022
   This is from Richard Koch's 80/20 Principle:

   <quote>Time management often advises people to categorize their list of ‘to do’ activities into A, B, C or D priorities. In practice, most people end up classifying 60­-70 per cent of their activities as A or B priorities. They conclude that what they are really short of is time. This is why they were interested in time management to start with. So they end up with better planning, longer working hours, greater earnestness and usually greater frustration too. They become addicted to time management, but it doesn’t fundamentally change what they do, or significantly lower their level of guilt that they are not doing enough.</quote>

   My personal method might be to compare these items with each other, and pick 10-20% of them. Randomly list 10 of these and pick one that you want, and discard/archive the rest. If you ask whether you want to read/do something, the answer is always "yeah", but if you compare these with each other, you'll see a pattern. Comparing and deciding is more difficult, by the way, and it results to store less of these in time.

   Whatever you do, give up the guilt first. Guilt never leads to productivity or happiness.

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