The 80/20 Principle
Education, Life, Manicures, Coffee & Cosmetics
This I feel is a theme I will explore on a recurring basis. One of “those” books that sticks. Richard Koch’s The 80/20 Principle.
Very often genius is in simplicity. Formulas make predictions simple and the 80/20 formula for me, simplifies decisions and information in education, sustainability and art.
Galileo understood if you took air OUT of the equation, everything falls at the same rate and to this day, ever since, 14 year old students easily can make predictions about things falling on an ideal planet sans air. After all, who doesn’t love watching Neil Armstrong drop the hammer and the feather on the 1st Moon landing? Inherently, we all know this - you probably would crumple a piece of paper prior to trying to aim for the garbage across the room. A flat piece ? Rather comical, the mass doesn’t change when crumpled, the air just affects it less.
Moving onto the arts, one of my favourite composers is Volodymyr Iwasyuk. Why? The songs are easy to play on the piano and just so very hauntingly beautiful. 20 % of the mental energy and effort to learn to play compared to one of my conservatory pieces, yet those are the ones friends enjoy listening to most.
On a more practical level, the 80/20 principle as Koch writes, explains so much about life and can help ease decisions. The last 20% of a project takes 80% of the time. 20% of your decisions affect 80% of your life. 20% of your wardrobe is regularly used. (I can attest to this one). All of a sudden, having mindsight, reviewing how resources, time and money are spent seem like a good idea. What if changing one habit can have an incredible spin-off effect ? Ideas like the 5-4-3-2-1 by Mel Robbins and Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg do an amazing job of explaining the profound and lasting effects of small changes.
Back to life, January 18th, 19th signals the end of the Ukrainian Christmas Season and it is always a hectic time. 80% of the time I try to make 80% of the 12 dishes from scratch - think borscht, perogies, breaded/fried fish … but this year a beet smoothie, some pickled herring, spinach and cabbage from the local boulangerie and kutja made in 5 minutes was all that was required to share an early apero with my next door neighbours. Small and respecting curfew. Kutja if you may be wondering, is made painstakingly by chopping nuts and various dried fruits by hand. (A food processor makes dust). This is mixed with honey, cooked wheat, poppy seeds and in my family, shh (a bit of Zubrowka and a liquor of choice). It is definitely an all afternoon affair. For me pleasant memories chopping and chatting around a kitchen table. This time ? 60 seconds to get some lemon rind, a chopped mandarin, raisins, coconut flakes - et voila ! 80% of the enjoyment, 20% of the work.
After the holidays, enjoying the simple pleasures, for instance, after a manicure at a friend’s, she gave me a home-made gommage made from coffee grounds, coconut oil, cinnamon and crushed cloves. Absolutely, fantastically luxurious. Not only did it feel wonderful, I loved the sustainable part of the story. Using my left-over coffee grounds, no plastic packaging, no shipping, low cost. And here is where the 80/20 principle comes in. I am not at a point where I am ready to make 80% of my cosmetics. 20% ? Maybe. Much more realistic. When purchasing, again, 80/20. One of the reasons I joined Ringana was I supported the concept of using plant-based products ethically sourced, produced and shipped. Trial-sized products such as their tooth-oil made it super-easy to cleanse the palate or replace toothpaste and water during journeys in planes, trains and automobiles. After getting up yet again at some ungodly hour to travel, this 15 mL tiny bottle made the day just that little more bearable. I liked the quick shot of pineapple / ginger CHI in the morning or as a salad dressing. Again, 80% of the time I cook, 20% I want it fast and easy. When COVID hit and more and more people realised that pipes and wipes are not a great match in large quantities, FRESH made standard TP into an instant wipe. For a year I only focused on a small percentage of the products. I wasn’t in a rush, and it was an investment. After a year I found myself coming back to them again and again, and then ventured into the world of supplements (hello Cerebro!) and learning my ABC’s. Ringana’s photos are pretty, their packaging is pretty, the products are shipped to my door and the corn-starch pellets dissolve in water. Education / Sustainability / Timeless Pretty. Perfect.
And this brings me again to why I live in France - one of my friends had suggested I travel to Europe after retirement. Everything inside me rebelled against this thought. 80% of time I want to experience Petit Marseille Lavande soap, Sel de Camargue, Fleur de Sel Lindt chocolate et bien sur, La Grande Dame. Living this ways falls under #slow down and raise the bar.
Ps - looking for an easy gift from France ? See above, my petit trio. Always appreciated.