In January 2010, about 18 months into my journey of becoming minimalist, I stumbled upon a concept that would forever change the way I viewed not just my possessions, but my life as well.
It is called the Pareto Principle, also known as The 80/20 Rule.
By definition, the principle suggests that “80% of consequences come from 20% of causes” While it was originally formulated by an Italian economist named Vilfredo Pareto who noted that 20% of people owned 80% of the land, its applications and nature quickly stretched far beyond economics.
In fact, the first time I heard it, it was in a conversation concerning clothes: “We wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time.”
As soon I heard the principle, it felt like a lightbulb moment. I began noticing it everywhere. I almost always wore the same coat, watched the same channels, used the same spatula, the same pan… even the same burner on my stove!
The principle became about more than numbers and statistics (or even the exact percentages). It became a new lens through which to see my excess possessions.
—Why continue to collect more and more when I’m still going to use my favorites 80% of the time?
—Why lose so much of my life storing and organizing the 80% when I use them only 20% of the time?
—How can I structure my life, especially in organization and prioritization, to make the 20% that I use regularly more efficient?
The application and ramifications of the Pareto Principle are almost endless. And every time we recognize a new area of life where it applies, we can discover patterns and make more intentional choices.
And when applied to our belongings, it becomes a powerful truth that can help us recognize and minimize unnecessary possessions in our home and life.
Let me show you what I mean. Here are 20 places I’ve noticed the 80/20 rule in my life:
1. Clothing
Generally speaking, we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time. Identify the 20% of your wardrobe you love and wear regularly—consider everything else a good potential to remove.
2. Shoes
Just like clothes, probably just a small portion of your shoe collection gets the most use. Even with shoes we keep for special occasions, we tend to wear the same ones frequently.
3. Kitchen Utensils and Appliances
A handful of tools handle most of our cooking needs. In fact, Mark Bittman once listed out the only 33 cooking utensils you need to cook almost anything. Look in the back of drawers and cabinets to find some of that 80% you’ll never need to keep or replace.
4. Books
Indeed, some books can hold sentimental value and there are some books we like to re-read. But most likely, if you’re keeping a large collection, only about a fifth fall into that category. Minimizing a book collection can be difficult, but applying the Pareto Principle to a collection can be very helpful in your efforts.
5. Toys
Just like adults, children tend to have their favorite toys and play with the same ones 80% of the time. Once your kids are old enough to help you minimize, help them see this fact and more easily identify the toys worth removing.
6. Cleaning Supplies
I’m a big fan of multi-purpose cleaners and supplies—and I thank this principle for helping me see that. A few key products handle most cleaning tasks—those are the ones you reach for over and over again.
7. Decorations
Think about how this principle applies to the decor we hang on our walls. If you’ve never minimized the decorations in your home, it’s possible you’re only displaying a percentage of the decorations you own. But more likely, of all the decorations in your home, only a small percentage carry significant meaning. Display those. And you’ll probably find this applies to seasonal and holiday decor as well.
8. Office Supplies
Got a drawer full of pens and pencils, but keep reaching for the same one over and over again? That’s the 80/20 Rule.
9. Electronics
Electronics tend to get pushed to the back when new models and new features arrive. If you have a large stash of electronics you no longer use (and are just using 20% of the ones you own), this is a good place to consider minimizing. But beyond that, this principle can be applied to the apps we use and websites we visit.
10. Craft Supplies
If you’re a crafter, you likely use a small portion of your supplies. Keep the essentials and let go of the rest. After all, as Orson Welles once said, “The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.”
11. Linens
Again, we often have more towels, sheets, and blankets than we need. It’s almost funny to think about now, but when we first discovered minimalism, we had a pile of towels in our linen closet, but just kept taking the same ones over and over again from the top. Keep your favorites and donate the extras.
12. Board Games and Cards
It’s fun to learn new games, and sometimes they get used. But most homes have lots of board games that clearly fall into the 80% rarely used category—which is always a good place to look when trying to minimize.
13. Media (DVDs, CDs, etc.)
In the age of streaming music and movies, the 80/20 Rule looks more like the 90/10 Rule. If you still use DVDs or CDs, there are probably just a couple that you are still placing into a player. If you do still listen/watch to a few physical disks, it makes sense to keep them. All the rest can be removed without fear.
14. Hobby Equipment
I once had a friend who showed up with three tennis rackets every time we played. He always just used the same one. If you can see this principle at play in any of your hobbies, it’s a good area to consider applying some minimalism.
I might also add that I probably get 80% of my progress on a golf course from just 20% of my shots, but that might be a different conversation for a different time…
15. Food
In our family, as is the case with many, I began to notice that we were pretty content to eat 20% of our recipes 80% of the time (tacos, chicken, spaghetti, salad, etc.). Once I noticed that fact and decided to embrace it rather than fight against it, it became easier to plan meals, grocery-shop, and eat healthy. Give it a try.
16. Makeup and Toiletries
Most of us use a small portion of our beauty and hygiene products daily. Declutter and keep only what you love and use regularly.
17. Furniture
Make a mental note sometime of how often the family sits in the same places most of the time. I can’t guarantee there will be opportunity to minimize furniture because of it. But what you notice might be helpful long-term in the furniture you choose to buy or replace.
18. Square Footage
Studies show we typically spend 80% of our time in the same 20% of our home. Think of your home and immediately ask if you own more square footage than you need. After all, your greatest expense might be your greatest opportunity.
19. Digital Efficiency
Likely, at work or at home, there are a small percentage of digital files, websites, or programs that you use regularly. Perhaps 80% of your time is spent using the same 20% of programs. Optimize your digital devices to make them more efficient by bookmarking the sites you use most often, putting apps in a prominent place on your phone/desktop, or removing the ones you never use anymore.
20. Sentimental Items
While sentimental items are special, we often keep more than we truly cherish. Keep the pieces that hold deep meaning and let go of the rest. When it comes to minimizing sentimental items, here are some more helpful ideas.
I enjoyed sitting down to write the list and probably could have kept on going. It’s absolutely fascinating and life-changing once you become aware of the Pareto Principle, notice places where it applies, and then ask yourself how it can affect how you live.
So give it a shot. Take a new look around your life. And if you’ve got any areas of life where the Pareto Principle applies, but I didn’t mention here, add it as a comment below so others can benefit.
Maravillosa interpretación de Pareto, Gracias! Sea mi propósito escuchar 80 hablar 20.
This is great article and especially helpful to me here in Nigeria where things are getting tough by the days. I can spare a lot from the 80% excesses
I love reading everything you write!
This article 80/20 is so true and I’ve not really looked at it this way. For several year I have embraced living with less to declutter my mind.
This article has helped me to address my added excess that I really don’t use anyway! Thank you
I love 80/20 and am going to try to start applying it to things. I have readily used the 80/20 rule for my lifetime diet. 80% healthy food and 20% other….such as chips, cookies, alcohol. However that 20% is also done in moderation.
20% of your clients produce 80% of your income!
Love this article! Other areas I’ve recently discovered the Pareto Principle can be applied: coffee mugs (there are two of us in my house who drink coffee…why did we have so many coffee mugs??), pajamas, first aid supplies, jewelry, winter scarves/gloves, phone apps…the list goes on and on!
This was so helpful! I’ve always believed in the idea that we use only 20% of our brain power but this explicit and easy to use list was so encouraging. Thanks for doing the heavy lifting–now I just need to follow your plan.
I just discovered the Pareto Principle and am working on applying it, especially to cleaning supplies and beauty products. I think I’m always trying to find something life-changing in those two areas-ha! As if! Now I’m trying to apply this “magical thinking” test to other stuff I own-books, CDs, and all the stuff in the garage.
Clothes are more difficult as we live in Minnesota and have all kinds of weather. After thinking it through, I figured that the 80/20 rule applies to almost all of my clothes, but only during 3 to 4 month long chunks of the year, if that makes sense (it probably will to fellow Minnesotans).
Thank you.
Oh sure. Like, the few books I read from my library occupy the most of my time. This is not to say that other books are useless. No. I have great love for all my books.
This top topic of using the vital few against the trivial many is so immeasurable. But again, I have to note: It depends on the particular area of my life that i particularly wish to focus on in a given period of time.
I thank you, Sir.
Oh sure. Like, the few I read from my library occupy my time. This is not to say though that other books are useless. No. I have great love for all my books.
This top topic of using the vital few against the trivial many is so immeasurable. But again, I have to note: It depends on the particular area of my life that i particularly wish to focus on in a given period of time.
I thank you, Sir.
Great thoughts. And so true!
I’ve noticed this principle at work in all the devices I use.
I only know and use 20% of the features on my phone, my car, an insulin pump, digital cameras and outside home cameras.
I often felt that laziness was at play but I do love your perspective that we don’t need to use everything we have. We can be ok with simplicity.