Stop Doing Everything. Start Doing the Right Things.

Being a mom is pretty much an 18-year group project.

And for most moms, you’re the group member doing almost all of the work while everyone else covers a little sliver (if you’re lucky).

You’re the default meal planner, house cleaner, laundry folder, dinner maker, logistics figure outer, scheduler, problem solver, lost thing finder, and everything-in-betweener.

Oh, HELLO Pareto Principle.

The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, says that 80% of results come from just 20% of your effort.

You might have heard this with respect to business or your diet, but it really applies to just about everything:

• You wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time.

• You use 20% of your phone apps 80% of the time.

• You listen to the same 20% of your music library 80% of the time.

• You watch 20% of the channels on your TV 80% of the time.

• In schools, 80% of complaints often come from 20% of the parents.

• 20% of the world’s population controls 80% of the wealth.

• In group projects, 20% of the people usually do 80% of the work.

If you’re a mom, chances are you get that last one. 

It’s not surprising when you inevitably freak out/burn out/tap out.

The more you start noticing your personal 80/20 patterns, the easier it becomes to shift your energy to what matters most.

Start with one area – your health, your home, your schedule, your parenting – and determine what 20% is most important. And focus on that. 

Once you start developing an awareness of what and how much you are doing, you can start to apply this to other areas of your life.

Just because you can do it all doesn’t mean you should.

Stop doing everything. Start doing the right things.