Could you expound on this

[rosegold]

Pareto. The Pareto principle is the 80-20 rule, which states that 80% of the value of a task comes from 20% of the effort. Focus your energy on that critical 20%, and don’t overengineer the non-critical 80%.

Could you give some examples for this?

[rosegold]

Optimization. Identify the processes you use most often, and write them down step-by-step. Refactor them on paper for greater efficiency. Then implement and test your improved processes. Sometimes we just can’t see what’s right in front of us until we examine it under a microscope.

I don't get this.

[daredevil83]

Optimization. Identify the processes you use most often, and write them down step-by-step. Refactor them on paper for greater efficiency. Then implement and test your improved processes. Sometimes we just can’t see what’s right in front of us until we examine it under a microscope.

I don't get this.

I think that I may give you a little example of optimization (as I understand it).
It's related to my daily morning routine and allow me to save much time, and give me some profits in emotions that aren't measureable.
One day I discovered that in the morning I spend much time on doing 2 things:
1) looking for things that I have to bring with me to work (or that I'll need later),
2) deciding what to wear.

Especially the first thing caused that I became angry and often had to hurry and worry about being on time, which often drain my energy and my mood became bad at the beginning of the day.

And I asked myself - how can I improve it? How can I save some time and free myself of these feelings?
I found the solution very quickly and immediately implemented it, and it works very well.
Maybe it's obvious but it really make difference for me:
I pack my backpack and prepare my clothes in the evening, before going to bed. That's all. Simple. Elegant. Effective.

[rosegold]

I should have searched first:

Pareto's Principle - The 80-20 Rule

How It Can Help You
The value of the Pareto Principle for a manager is that it reminds you to focus on the 20 percent that matters. Of the things you do during your day, only 20 percent really matter. Those 20 percent produce 80 percent of your results. Identify and focus on those things. When the fire drills of the day begin to sap your time, remind yourself of the 20 percent you need to focus on. If something in the schedule has to slip, if something isn't going to get done, make sure it's not part of that 20 percent.

There is a management theory floating around at the moment that proposes to interpret Pareto's Principle in such a way as to produce what is called Superstar Management. The theory's supporters claim that since 20 percent of your people produce 80 percent of your results you should focus your limited time on managing only that 20 percent, the superstars. The theory is flawed, as we are discussing here because it overlooks the fact that 80 percent of your time should be spent doing what is really important. Helping the good become better is a better use of your time than helping the great become terrific. Apply the Pareto Principle to all you do, but use it wisely.
Manage This Issue
Pareto's Principle, the 80/20 Rule, should serve as a daily reminder to focus 80 percent of your time and energy on the 20 percent of you work that is really important. Don't just "work smart", work smart on the right things.