An excellent book...worth repeat listens

I enjoyed the book immensely, and have returned to it often. But once I knew an audiobook version existed, I knew it made sense and that I had to have it. My MP3 player is more portable, and ironically takes up less than 20% of the space of the actual physical book, which I have since gifted to a friend. I now have Koch in my pocket to remind me to stop wasting time and effort. I would have preferred the author to have done the narration though, as I prefer to hear a story from the horse's mouth. Nevertheless, the philosophy of the book benefits from repeated listening. Some have argued that his philosophy could have been summarised in less than 20% of his book, a point I initially thought myself. But this criticism is acknowledged and addressed in the book itself. The point is not to eliminate 80% of everything, but to eliminate the majority of things you do not enjoy or that do not add value, and to multiply what does add joy or value. If you enjoy the ride, you should want the journey to last longer. I have wasted far more time on books and movies I did not enjoy and added nothing to my life. I would argue this philosophy is worth repeating, as becoming bogged down by trivial matters seems to be a deep human flaw. Merely flicking through the book or reading a summary would not likely yield results, or change your life, as it has mine. There are people who need to be smacked round the head with this book repeatedly. You know them. You've met them. They are those who watch mindless movies, trashy books, play point and click mini-games on Facebook for hours on end, etc. This book has made me constantly reassess my life and make massive changes. Sometimes the viewpoints are subtle. Sometimes they are blunt, even harsh. I have lost friends over this book. But all that showed was how weak those connections were in the first place. I have found a life/work balance as never before. Strongly recommended.

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13 people found this helpful

Summary - Must read! Must Learn! Must practice

What did you like most about The 80/20 Principle?

I agree with everything Richard Koch wrote. However I would have changed the phrasing of what you should do with the rest of the 80 of your time.

He hits the nail on the head on how to prioritize and work on tasks that achieve your objectives. However I agree with what most of his critics say about trying to turn 100 percent of all tasks into personal gainers.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The 80/20 Principle?

The outlining of his critics points. I think that is the bravest and most honourable thing he could have done.

Which character – as performed by Richard Aspel – was your favourite?

none

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

getting more done with less effort

Any additional comments?

If there was any advise I would give to the readers of this book, follow his advise but remember. Life is for living. Simply use the 20% of action to achieve your goals and enjoy the rest of the 80 of effort in living and enjoying life.

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80:20

An interesting take on using the 80:20 rule or pareto principle in business and for personal success, The author presents the idea clearly and shows its effectiveness and while I don't agree with all his ideas I got a lot from it.

Good ideas well presented and worth listening to again

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2 people found this helpful

For the time poor

This book puts meat on an expression I have heard many say but never implement It repeats the same idea but this worked for me in driving home the basic idea of the book. I now find myself seeing the 80/20 principle in action all over the place. A new window on the world.

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sound

Good to mull over, but not earth-shattering in its content; lots of common sense. Worth having in the back of your mind

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1 person found this helpful

Terrible

Any additional comments?

The 80/20 rule is a fascinating concept, but this is lost within this book. It will send you to sleep. 80% of this book is rubbish - 20% of the population might find a nugget in here; perhaps that was the authors intension to prove the rule.....

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Highly repetitive

If you read the title of this book you already know the contents. Those words recur again and again. Save your money for something less toe-curling.

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7 people found this helpful

A good principle, but too much repetition

Using the theme of the book, I have to say that 80% of the content could have been covered in 20% of the time.

The 80/20 principle is a valid principle, but once you've got your head around what it's all about you don't need to listen to endless examples and a lot of repetition.

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5 people found this helpful