The Formula of Happiness: 90/10 Principle (2024)

Are you feeling annoyed at work for no reason? Are you finding it hard to stay focused on high-impact tasks and instead getting bogged down by low-priority activities? The 90/10 Principle might be the answer you're looking for.

The 90/10 Principle states that 10% of our life is made up of what happens to us and 90% of our lives are determined by our reaction to what happened to us. Simply put, a small number of our activities account for many of our outcomes. We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. The other 90% is different, we determine the other 90%.

Here is a real-life example to understand the point more clearly. The other day, while on my way to the office, I encountered a CNG driver who was obstructing the road by driving on the wrong side. Due to the traffic jam, I started to feel angry, annoyed and frustrated with every passing minute. At one point, we exchanged some heated words and went our separate ways. But later that day I realized that the residual anger and frustration from that incident was impacting my workday and negatively impacted my mood, focus, and interactions with others. This resulted in lower productivity, more mistakes, and poor communication with my coworkers.

So, how can we apply the 90/10 Principle to our work lives?

The first step is to identify the 10% of tasks that have the greatest impact. This can be done by analyzing the above example.

I had no control over the CNG driver coming from the opposite side of the road. But despite having control over my reaction, I was involved in a road rage incident with him. It was only the beginning of the day, and my reaction had caused me to have a difficult day at work. The following points may be beneficial in making us more efficient and productive at work:

• Concentrate on the tasks that are the most important and have the greatest impact on our objectives.
• Set aside more time and prioritize these high-impact tasks over lower-impact tasks.
• By focusing on the activities that are most meaningful and impactful.
• Use our emotional intelligence wisely.

By focusing on the above points, we will be able to accomplish more in less time and make a more significant impact on our role and organization.

It ought to be noted that the 90/10 Principle is not a hard and fast rule, and the exact ratio may vary depending on the individual and circ*mstances. The goal is to identify and prioritize the most impactfultasks so that time and energy can be invested in what truly matters.