Uneven Distribution, July 16th

You’ve probably never heard of Vilfredo Federico Damaso Pareto, which is understandable since he was born in 1848 in Italy. Villy was an incredibly keen observer. He noticed that only 20% of the pea plants in his garden produced a whopping 80% of the healthy pea pods. This got him thinking about the concept of uneven distribution. (If you know where I’m going with this, please don’t ruin it for the other kids.) When he did a little local real estate research, Villy also learned that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by a mere 20% of the people. He realized that he was onto something. Upon further investigation, he discovered that for every industry he studied, typically 80% of the production came from just 20% of the companies. So was born the 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle. Simply put, 80% of the consequences come from 20% of the causes.

Most people don’t know Pareto, but they know the 80/20 rule. The concept translates deep into the personal side of our lives as well. This means that we tend to wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time. (Nowadays it’s more like 10% of my closet gets a good 90% of the wear! I’m talking to you, Lululemon Align Cropped Joggers in buttery soft navy with the superband waistband.) So to trick myself into a purposeful expansion of the 20, I just bought a staple summer t-shirt at the Gap (on sale) in black. And then my lifelong need of simple and sometimes senseless abundance took over… so I pressured myself into also buying a white one and an ambitiously hot pink number as well. I love the idea of the pink one, but chances are I’ll pass by that hanger all summer long and go for the slimming black one with an occasional nod to the white.

I hate to admit it, but I’ve had a few seasons where I pulled a similar stunt and got multiples of an item and the off colors still hang in my closet (with tags on). To be clear, no, acid green is never a good choice. Yes, it’s an accent color, but it also looks like a neon industrial spill. (Seemed like a good idea at the time. I swear. Ok, stop shaking your head. I know.)

We get 80% of our business from 20% of our clients. We see 20% of our friends 80% of the time, and on it goes. For me, the 80/20 rule also plays a role with diet. I eat healthy 80% of the time and expect my battle with the bulge to be 100% perfect, and then I wonder why my weight is ahem, unevenly distributed. That pesky 20% in my case really makes an impact. Maybe because I certainly make that 20% count! After eating a mega green salad I like just a few bites of a high-end dark chocolate creamy peanut butter parfait and a few flakes of sea salt lazily strewn about the top.

Or I like to enjoy a lemon grilled chicken and veggie plate accompanied nicely by two spoonfuls of a lovely bowtie pasta with spring peas and a hearty basil pesto with tomato halves and a good shake of aged Parm cheese. A healthy garden omelet ramped up with teeny tiny bits of crispy bacon (that are maybe slightly larger than teeny) just makes my morning that much more delicious. A turkey rollup with a side of crunchy carrots pairs well with a mini square of homemade banana bread for dessert– this gives new meaning to the question, “Can you spare a square?” And the answer is, if you have to ask, you already know the answer. (Thank you Elaine Benes from Seinfeld for the can you spare a square line!)

While the 80/20 rule certainly makes sense, I try to focus my efforts on the 20… as in pounds I’ve gained since I started writing this post. Oh, did I leave out the part about flipping the script and eating fried mac and cheese balls, thick crusty sourdough dipped in nutty olive oil that’s been doctored up with flake salt and red pepper, and a chunky monkey milkshake? I guess I did. The truth is that sometimes I eat well only 20% of the time and not 80 like I previously mentioned. My bad! But the scale reminds me… because 80% of the time that I weigh myself, I have a 100% meltdown.

But thanks to Pareto, I know that if I refocus 80% of my efforts on what’s important, I could see that distribution redistribute. The principal of this principle really knew what he was talking about.