Writing assignment: 250 words. “What was the 20% of this book that has influenced me most?”
The Principle of 16x by Richard Koch is a great book talking about how to increase your productivity. Although the book is less than 100 pages, just about a one day read, it packs a mighty punch on how to get more productive. The book is based on the principle of 80/20. If you don’t know about the principle of 80/20, an example is that a company’s 20% of products might generate 80% of its sales or that 20% of employees produce 80% of the work output. Now that you have an understanding of what 80/20 is, let’s answer the question: What was the 20% of the book that influenced me the most?
The book talks about many ways to maximize or improve your productivity. But the one that stood out to me the most was “Defy your routine.” I think, like everybody, I have a routine I follow every day. Although not everything in your or my routine is bad, there is definitely waste and things to cut out. Koch calls “habit and routine killers of innovation.”
This chapter for me is the most influential one because I know if I can maximize my routine, I can be 16x more productive. It won’t be easy to remove things from my routine, but in the long run it will only benefit me. For example, instead of doing my easy schoolwork first, I do it after my hard work. Another example: instead of picking my phone up first thing in the morning, pick up the Bible or another book. One more great way to defy routine is to change my studying from night to morning. By doing this I can study when my focus is higher.
Overall, what stuck out to me in this book is “defy my routine.” This idea challenges what I like to do every day, but this chapter made me think about how I spend my time each day. Instead of doing what I want, I can now do what is best for my productivity. By making these small changes to my daily habits, I can improve my focus and efficiency. By defying my routine I will help myself and my business.
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