The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less

Be more effective with less effort by learning how to identify and leverage the 80/20 principle: that 80 percent of all our results in business and in life stem from a mere 20 percent of our efforts.

The 80/20 principle is one of the great secrets of highly effective people and organizations.

Did you know, for example, that 20 percent of customers account for 80 percent of revenues? That 20 percent of our time accounts for 80 percent of the work we accomplish? The 80/20 Principle shows how we can achieve much more with much less effort, time, and resources, simply by identifying and focusing our efforts on the 20 percent that really counts. Although the 80/20 principle has long influenced today's business world, author Richard Koch reveals how the principle works and shows how we can use it in a systematic and practical way to vastly increase our effectiveness, and improve our careers and our companies.

The unspoken corollary to the 80/20 principle is that little of what we spend our time on actually counts. But by concentrating on those things that do, we can unlock the enormous potential of the magic 20 percent, and transform our effectiveness in our jobs, our careers, our businesses, and our lives.

BUY THE BOOK

Published Oct 19, 1999

336 pages

Average rating: 7.11

9 RATINGS

|

Community Reviews

WordsmithWealth
Sep 11, 2025
This book is all about a simple but powerful idea: that a small amount of what we do leads to the majority of our results. Richard Koch takes the classic 80/20 rule and shows how it shows up everywhere, from business and time management to relationships and personal happiness. It’s not just theory, either. Koch gives practical advice on how to spot the 20 percent that really matters in your life and focus on that. The goal isn’t to do more, but to do what actually works and let go of the rest. It’s a great book for sparking reflection and conversation, especially if your group enjoys talking about how to live and work with more intention. You don’t need a business background to enjoy it.

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.