Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule) applied to real life.
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Knowing the theory of a discipline gives you an unfair advantage when discussing related topics or particularly subjects that rely on the foundational theory. A recent story serves as an example. I joined a call discussing some work requirements. All the people on the call have been working with the current company and product longer than I. However, I contributed significantly to the conversation because I know more about accounting than most of my peers.
The right tools make the job easier. To edit my video presentation I needed to select and delete sections of the recording. While it required more time than expected, the video editing tool was simple and intuitive. This allowed me to quickly create an edited, polished, professional video presentation with no training.
Editing a video presentation is not quick. I was asked to record a presentation that hit certain points and followed a general script. From prior experience I knew that editing a video can take more time than the recording. A great delivery the first time can save considerable time in editing. This requires planning and practice. It’s worth considering the investment on either end before choosing your approach.
Sometimes the fastest approach to a question gives you the necessary amount of information and prevents needless discussions or technical research. Bing, Google, or other search tools well represent this approach. Try applying this at home, on vacation, or fulfilling a work request and see how much time you can win back for yourself.
Starting a recent project, I read the quick start guide and only 3 out of 144 slides from the instructions. Based on this reading I clarified the objectives, requirements, and framework of the assignment which provided the critical understanding to act. In this case, I gleaned all of that from roughly 3% of the associated materials.
When faced with a problem, consider consulting someone else for a different perspective. They may provide a solution that completely negates the obstacle you were facing. I was frustrated with a process related to expenses. A friend provided an insight that removed the steps causing me the most problems.
I was asked for a two-minute pitch recorded on video. I quickly reviewed the instructions to initiate the recording and wrote down the main points I wanted to hit. Instead of searching for detailed instructions or building up a comprehensive outline, I hit record and started talking. I completed the assignment in less than ten minutes. Others spent over an hour prepping, practicing, and re-recording to obtain the same result. Don’t make a simple task complicated. Sometimes you can start quickly and learn what you need as you go.
Search engines are your friend. A quick suggestion from a web search and a few minutes of testing might give just as good a solution as hours on the phone with tech support.
I give many presentations. Much of the content is redundant. I’ve created templates to cover various business requirements. Add or remove modular templates to quickly construct a full presentation based on current needs. Using this approach you can decrease your preparation time and the risk of errors. This strategy can also be applied to questions that you receive frequently. For presentations you can keep unused templates in the backup to address any questions. You will appear far more prepared without a significant increase in effort.
What if you were trying to pitch an idea with marker on whiteboard or pen on napkin? How could you convey a memorable message with a drawing? After drawing a symbol, simply explain it. This will convey the meaning to the audience and give a visual cue by which to remember the concept. Your goal is to convey a concept, not to sell a work of art.
Create templates. Creating a time entry template saved me not only time in entry, but also a notable amount of cognitive strain involved in counting hours on a 24-hr clock and matching against an associated activity tracker. The template took care of counting, time per day, total hours, manual entry in web fields, and start and end times. The template eliminated more than 80% of the steps in the process and the steps eliminated were the most time consuming and cognitively challenging.
Get in the same room with a collaborator. Information and nuance are exchanged at lightspeed when face to face. The room can be physical, digital, or metaphorical. Don’t limit yourself. Communication is too valuable to needlessly handicap.
A five second joke is just as effective as a one minute joke during small talk and prevents an awkward lapse in attention from the listener. 92% of the laugh comes from 8% of the joke.
I was put in a group of more experienced people with the assignment of delivering a 20 minute presentation. All the experienced people in the group began some serious navel-gazing. I tried to steer the conversation toward the content of our presentation, but a couple of people were focused on pinning presenting assignments on others than themselves. After 30 minutes had passed I realized the stupidity and futility of the room. I volunteered for a five minute assignment and the meeting ended almost immediately thereafter. Putting the extreme stubbornness of several individuals aside, we saw that one question provided all of the friction that wasted everyone’s time.
I was speaking with someone through a messaging app and the conversation was escalating in complexity. I stopped the chat and took it to the phone. We immediately accelerated the pace of the conversation and increased understanding. Sometimes more contact is less friction in communication. Whether it’s 140 or 160 characters, it lacks the auditory experience that efficiently provides the valuable context.
I needed to learn a presentation. I took the sample provided and divided it into coherent sections. Now I had manageable, related chunks of information I could analyze and digest. These sections more readily fit in my calendar in the blocks of time available prior to my deadline. Thus time spent deconstructing the subject yielded most of the conceptual and structural understanding I needed.
I had a one-on-one scheduled with someone up the chain of command in my organization and spent five minutes in advance preparing three or four questions. My questions became an immediate lifeline that kept the conversation flowing in a natural and meaningful way. The VIP was impressed with my preparation and the meeting easily went through the allotted time. My five minutes of preparation covered a 30 minute meeting and enhanced my professional brand.
My experience with making purchases online is limited mostly to niche items and books which I intend to keep or utilize for a known and specific purpose. I don't buy stuff online just to try it out. Thus I found myself at a strange place recently where I wanted to return something big and expensive purchased through Amazon. My thoughts had changed on the object as well as the problem it was solving. It was a functional and appreciated solution to my problem, but I knew I could do better. In fact, holding on to the purchase was getting in the way of taking action toward a better solution. So I turned to an expert, a woman. This expert shopper not only regularly returns items both online and in-store, but does so frequently enough that she has various return policies memorized. She informed me that on Amazon the process was terribly easy. Find the order, click the return button, print the label, and deliver to the UPS store. Had I not asked the question, I'd still be holding on to a large, expensive item and missing out on a better solution. Not only did inquiring about how to make a return provide a nudge toward action, but I was also encouraged to take the next steps necessary to move toward the better solution. While my original solution yielded at least 80% of the desired results, my new solution will yield greater results with fewer moving parts, less associated clutter, and more simple operation. While I confess that my labor investment is increased by these changes it is important when applying the Pareto Principle to not settle for unacceptable results in the name of minimizing inputs. The quality of inputs is more important than the quantity.