Living the 80/20 Way by Richard Koch
Posted on January 11th, 2010 by Joshua Oakes – No Comments|
The Book |
What we thought |
 “Living the 80/20 Way” by Richard Koch |
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In 1906 the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto observed that 80% of Italy’s wealth came from only 20% of the population. This principle has since become known as the 80/20 rule. In Living the 80/20 Way, the author Richard Koch explains how this rule can be applied to many different areas of our life.
The book is divided into three parts. In part 1 the concept is introduced and explained to the reader. Part 2 focuses on how to apply the principle to five key areas of life: yourself, your work, money, relationships and ‘the simple, good life’ as Koch describes it. In part 3, the author presents a method you can use to adapt the 80/20 rule to your own life to assist in achieving your own needs and desires.
Every chapter is filled with real life examples that show how countless others from many disciplines in life have benefitted from applying the rule. I found myself applying many of them to my own life. As a simple example, since I use about 20% of my possessions in my house about 80% of the time, I decided to discard all the junk I don’t need or use. Not only did this result in a much cleaner and clutter free house, but somehow I have found more time to spend on activities that I enjoy. The numerous examples are what give this mathematical rule substance and relevance to everyday life.
Living the 80/20 Way is probably the simplest and most effective self-help book I have ever read. Given that the subject of the book is centered on the principle of ‘less is more’, Koch succeeded in delivering his message in an easy to read and concise writing style. It’s almost too simple to start applying the lessons he teaches to every facet of your life.
If you would like to live ‘the simple, good life’, where you can achieve more with less effort within every area of your life, then I suggest that this book be the very next one you read.