80/20 Rule

The doorbell rang at 10:00 am this morning. 

"Floral delivery!" said the cheery woman who greeted me at the door.

"Oh, hunh, thanks!" I said, opening the tissue paper to find…. flowers from my husband!

It’s not my birthday.
It’s not our anniversary.
No argument to mend.

They were just a gift, a surprise, a delightful little expression of his gratitude and love.  I was brought to tears by such a simple but thoughtful gesture.

My husband is a normally a very thoughtful person anyway, but I was curious.  Flowers?  On a Wednesday?

Calling to thank him, he told me that part of what inspired him was reading this:  an article on the 80/20 rule, also known as Pareto’s Principle.

If you haven’t heard of it, the concept is simple: 20 percent of what we do is vital; 80 percent is not.  The principle can be applied in many ways, but the idea is to focus on the key 20 percent of life, business, relationships that is crucial.  It’s about clarity of purpose, and of action.

For my husband, it meant focusing on the key relationships – including me, our marriage – that make up his key 20 percent.  It made my day.

How about you? 
How does the 80/20 rule play out in your quest to do what matters, to make a difference?