80/20: How to Maximise your Happiness

Have you ever sat down to figure out what actually makes you happy?

I recently read the 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch, where he says that 80%of your happiness comes from just 20% of your activities and conversely, 80% of your unhappiness comes from just 20% of the things you do.


He suggests writing down all of the things that make you happy to identify any common themes, which could then be multiplied. Similarly, with the unhappiness list you can identify the common themes of the things that make you unhappy and work to eliminate doing those things.

Mixing this with some wise words from Timothy Ferris from the 4-Hour Work Week, where he suggests that the opposite of happiness is not sadness but boredom, I made the following lists:

• Activities and times when I was very happy or excited
• Activities and times when I am very bored or unhappy

The first thing that I realised is how hard it was to figure out what actually made me happy! This was made easier by thinking of times when I was very happy or excited. The second thing that I noticed and the most important thing I realised was the startling similarity of the themes in both lists.

Some common themes of what makes me happy: learning, discovery, sharing creations, congratulations.

Some common themes of what makes me unhappy: stress/anxiety, doing things that are not what I want to do just for money, not peaceful/zen, things that push dreams further away.

What I learned from doing this exercise is that I need to start learning new skills and hobbies, as that ticks off a couple of things that make me happy in learning and discovering, but also because I realised that I don't have nearly enough things that I love doing. I also want to spend more time on the 20% that contributes to 80% of my happiness. 

I also now know what to avoid to prevent unhappiness, mainly to avoid conflict and drama where possible and to not get involved in activities unless the idea of doing it excites me! This also frees up some of my time to spend on the activities that are most condusive to my happiness! 

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @EarlyRetireAus or send me an email at earlyretirementaus@gmail.com 

Peace. 

E.