Parkinson, Pareto and You
Have you ever heard about Parkinson’s Law?
It is an axiom that states: “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”
I have found that this is also true with money and storage space; and probably many other things…
because stated differently Parkinson’s Law states that you will use all of whatever resource you have.
Incidentally, it was reference storage space wifey and I were taking this morning that led to this meditation. The discussion was about whether we actually need all four of the cabinets in our dining room (kind of more a utility room in our place) or we could cut down to two and move the nice desk I had made for her back to it’s spot between the original two cabinets. 🙂
Later I brought up Pareto Principle. The Pareto Principle, or 80/20 Rule, is a theory that people commonly use in business. It maintains that 20% of the items in a company or system account for 80% of the effect.
I, of course, was making the argument that we probably only really need 20% of the stuff in the cabinets…
but, enough about me.
I share all of this only to share a sort of revelation I had reference the relationship between the two principles.
If we will utilize, according to Parkinson’s Law, 100% of all the time, money, space or other resource we’ve available; and only 20% of whatever resources make 80% of the difference, then it follows (at least to me) that many of our problems are problems of Focus.
Is it any wonder that Focus is the first of the 6 Foundational Blackbelt Superpowers that we develop at Krav Maga Martial Arts and that I write about in my book?
Now, as this revelation is probably not as self evident as it seemed to me when I had it, allow me to expound a little.
I believe that we often put too much Focus on how things are- at the expense of how we want them to be.
That is, we many become overwhelmed by all the things “we need” to find a place for that we have in storage, or “how little” time we have or perhaps even apply scarcity or limitation mindset to our money.
But what if, instead, we decided to apply our Focus superpower to what we want instead.
What if we decided to be in charge?
What if we tell our time where to go? (did you realize we each and all have 168 hours a week to spend, waste or invest?)
What if we started with the physical, financial or professional life we wanted, and then Focus on how to create that?
What if we saw our people resources not as they are, but Focus on how they could be?
What if instead of looking at the cabinet or closet or whatever other mess, we were to Focus on how it will be organized when it is the way we want it to be?
Focus really is a super powerful superpower.
Focus on what is or Focus on what could be?
The Focus you choose is the key to your future.
Prepare To Live & Empower To Lead!
Grand Master Stephen J. Del Castillo
Author, MBA & 7th Degree Blackbelt
Founder & Chief Master Instructor,
Krav Maga Martial Arts
p.s. I didn’t actually make her the desk; but i did commission someone to do so. I often apply my Focus this way. 🙂
We don’t have to do it all ourselves. We just need to make it happen.
About Grandmaster Stephen J. Del Castillo: Grandmaster Del Castillo is the founding Master Instructor of Krav Maga Martial Arts and has been empowering lives in Pasco and Hillsborough Counties since October of 2000. He is a 7th degree Blackbelt, MBA, author, mentor and success coach, a US Army Veteran and a proud father and grandfather. He is married to Ms. Barbara Del Castillo who helps him run the school. Grand Master Del Castillo began his training in the early 80’s and has high level blackbelts in Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Premier Martial Arts and Krav Maga Martial Arts as well as experience in kickboxing, Jeet Kune Do and Jiujitsu. He has high level instructor certifications from BBSI, IKMF, and KMG and has been featured in numerous Martial Arts publications and also Success magazine. He was a competitive sport karate and American Kickboxing instructor until he enlisted in the US Army where he served in the 82nd Airborne Division, where he won an Army Green to Gold scholarship and proceeded to ROTC and the University of Tampa. He was commissioned in 1992 and went on to serve in Germany with the 3rd Infantry Division and then in several other posts in the US until he left military service to pursue his dream of creating KMMA in 2000.
The Krav MagaMartial Arts Headquarters is in Lutz, FL at 1900 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., 33549. Krav Maga Martial Arts serves Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel, and surrounding areas.
See stephendelcastillo.com for more information and to order my book, Developing Your Superpower, Meditations on Mastery, Volume 1.
Also, check us out on Fun4TampaKids & on Go2Karate.com