The Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule) for Creatives: A Guide
- Adilla
- Oct 3
- 5 min read
When conducting your work, how would you know what to focus on, ensuring your team isn’t wasting their energy on a task that would not bring positive outcomes?
The Pareto principle not only benefits the business or economic industry, but creatives can also gain advantages from utilising this principle.
Table of Contents
What Is the Pareto Principle?
This principle was developed by the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. He had deduced that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by only 20% of the population. Then, 20% of his plants in the garden yield 80% of the fruit. So, he states that roughly 80% of consequences or outcomes are from 20% of causes.
The 80/20 rule is not a formal mathematical equation despite the numbers. It is a generalised phenomenon that Pareto concluded can be observed in task allocation, time management, economics, business, and other areas. Its purpose is to help identify what or where to prioritise to yield the most ‘profit’.
4 Steps to Applying the Pareto Principle
Step 1: List Down Your Tasks
Note down your individual work that is involved in any of your creative processes. From brainstorming and gathering references and colour coding, to sketching and producing the creative work, the feedback and approval stage, and final changes.
Step 2: Identify the 20% High-Value Tasks
As you go through your list, prioritise high-impact creative tasks that have brought more value to your work, project or company. It does not have to be exactly 20% from the total list, as the whole principle, or 80/20 rule, isn’t mathematical.
For example, choosing tasks that are without it will affect the overall creative process. Like an approved concept or idea after a confirmed brainstorming session as excluding it would cause the feedback and approval stage to last longer.
Step 3: Single Out Important Tasks
By minimising your tasks by 20% from their initial amount, you would protect creative energy and prevent burnout. Plus, as much as you need to focus on the 20% of your tasks that yield the most outcome, consider 20% of your work hours where you can do deep work or are at your peak productive hour.
Step 4: Streamline the 80% Tasks
So, what do you do with the rest of your tasks? For tasks that don’t significantly impact finalising your creative work, you can slot them into your workflow where you are slowing down in the day or consider delegating or finding ways to automate them, especially if they are administrative tasks.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the 80/20 Rule
Increased Productivity with Manageable Segments
As energy is more directed towards what matters, seeing the evidence that the 20% tasks yield results indirectly motivates you to finish up these tasks. Not only that, now that your tasks are divided, it also contributes to an 80/20 time management.
Clear Priorities, Especially in a Team
If you are a creative project manager, task management can get confusing. So, utilising the 80/20 rule can help you put attention to what tasks your team should prioritise.
Read more: How to Manage Tasks Better
Misinterpretation of Effort
Some people might mistake the prioritisation of 20% towards only giving 20% of their energy or effort, which can achieve the 80% results. This isn’t the case, as the 80/20 rule does not indicate the amount of effort you put in. The goal is not to minimise effort but to focus your effort where it matters.
Neglect Other Tasks
Unfortunately, this might cause you to focus only on the tasks within the 20% category, ignoring the 80% that make up the rest of your tasks. While technically, you are supposed to maximise your energy on the 20%, however, the 80% is still a big chunk of your list. So, delegate or slot them in accordingly as you plan out your week.
Applying the Pareto Principle to Creative Work
Whether you’re doing animation, graphic design, sculpture, mural painting or even photography, the 80/20 rule for creatives helps you focus on the 20% of your work that contributes to 80% of your results. Or on the marketing side, likely 20% of your marketing effort yields 80% of your exposure and sales.
So, as you identify which part of your work can be applied with the Pareto principle, you’ll be able to maximise your efforts and dismiss the 80% that doesn’t give the best outcomes.
Using Project Management Software to Implement the 80/20 Time Management Rule
Tracking Time Spent on Each Task
To better allocate or prioritise your tasks into the 20% section, utilise the time tracking features in your project management software. Knowing how much you spend on each task, which yields the 80% outcome, will help you better segregate your tasks.
Monitor Your Progress and Identify Issues
With a visual view of your progress, you can better identify your issues, like kanban boards, dashboards of your tasks or even Pareto charts. So, monitoring your progress in operating with the 80/20 rule would be clearer.
Take Advantage of Analytics and Reporting
The pros of using PM software are the features that can automatically analyse your data and report real-time data. Thus, allocating resources comes with proven evidence that the Pareto principle benefits your workflow.
Review and Reassess
When utilising a new method, it is always best to do a check-in often to ensure you are achieving the initial goal of using it. Set weekly reviews with yourself to see what worked and what didn’t work throughout, using the 80/20 rule for creatives.
Key Takeaways
The Pareto principle is a versatile method to maximise productivity, time and creative energy.
Utilising the 80/20 rule would also prevent burnout and protect the creative energy of your team in creative projects.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can the Pareto rule be applied to creative work?
Yes, it can be applied to any creative work. As we state in this article, it is possible to apply the 80/20 rule depending on which part of your creative process or creative workflow you would like to use it for.
Creative project managers are also encouraged to utilise this principle as it will maximise the efforts on high-value tasks and prevent your creatives from burning out.
How do I measure the 20%?
To measure the 20% to prioritise among your tasks or creative work, focus on what gives the most impact. Whether it brings the most profit or attention is dependent on your goal.
For example, if your goal is to gain more views on your creative work, from 100% of your creative work, pinpoint what elements in your work people would pay most attention to but limit it to 20% of those elements. Thus, you have found what to focus on to change or improve.
How would the 80/20 rule help with time management?
The 80/20 rule aids time management by highlighting that only 20% of tasks yield significant results. This shifts focus to high-priority activities, helping to conserve time and energy. Plus, the remaining 80% can be delegated, streamlined or eliminated to free up time.
Author Bio
With a background in Arts English, Adilla has been a casual writer for various hobbies, like parodies of animated shows and plots for board games. She loves to read anything and everything from fantasy stories to articles on tips and tricks. Now an advocate for mental health and effective project management for the creative industry. Currently, Adilla resides in Malaysia and is a creative writer at TESSR. To know more about her, check out her LinkedIn.
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