The 80/20 Principle

Richard Koch builds his argument on a pattern of predictable imbalance that the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto first noticed while studying how income and wealth were distributed: a small share of causes produces most of the results. In business, a fifth of products can bring in four fifths of sales and profits, and a similar minority of customers supplies most of the revenue. Koch traces the same imbalance through commerce, careers and daily life, then shows how to apply it systematically. The method is to identify the efforts that really count, concentrate on them, and accept that much of what fills a working day matters little. The advice is aimed at individuals and companies alike.

Tim Ferriss said reading it alongside The E-Myth Revisited convinced him that extreme questions were the forcing device he needed, and Marvin Liao, a partner at 500 Startups, named it one of his favorite business books for its principles on optimizing work and life.