The secret of the Pareto Principle
(and how to apply it in your writing)
The Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule, is a game-changer for writers.
It reveals a simple yet powerful truth: 80% of your results come from just 20% of your efforts. This principle applies to writing in ways that can completely shift how you approach your craft.
Why writing feels harder than it should
Writing can seem like the easiest thing in the world: you sit down, and you pour your thoughts onto the page. But often, the opposite is true. You sit down to write, and an hour passes with little to show for it.
Maybe you lack ideas and procrastinate
Maybe you lack a strategy to organize your thoughts
Maybe you’re a perfectionist and spend too much time making your article look good
It’s frustrating, isn’t it? The question is: Are you wasting time on the wrong things?
Focusing on unnecessary details
Obsessing over editing your work
Spending hours on ideas that don’t fit your overall plan
What if you could identify the few critical actions that drive the majority of your writing success? That’s where the Pareto Principle comes in. By understanding this simple concept, you can transform your writing process, helping you write faster, better, and with less stress.
Let’s look at this from three angles:
👉 Your words
Look at your writing. Maybe 80% of a great piece comes from just 20% of your words. The best writing isn’t about cramming in more information, but about delivering impact with fewer, stronger words.
Great writers know that most of what they draft won’t make the final cut. Instead of fixating on making every sentence perfect, focus on refining the small percentage of words that truly move the reader.
👉 Engagement
80% of your engagement comes from just 20% of your content.
Not all topics, headlines, or angles resonate equally. Some deeply connect with your audience, while others fall flat. Analyze what works and double down on the ideas, themes, and formats that generate the most response. Don’t waste time on content that barely moves the needle.
👉 Productivity
80% of your writing progress happens in just 20% of your time. You’ve likely experienced those moments when the words flow effortlessly, those short, focused bursts where everything clicks. These are the moments that drive your best work.
Instead of grinding through endless hours of mediocre output, learn to optimize and protect these high-impact writing sessions.
Stop chasing the wrong 80%
If you want to improve your writing, the key isn’t working harder. It’s about identifying and prioritizing the small, high-impact actions that yield the biggest results.
So, what are those high-impact activities? First, we want to avoid the writing traps where writers waste 80% of their effort.
1️⃣ Writing too much, saying too little
Make your words count.
Don’t fill space, think about delivering impact. A single sharp sentence can cut deeper than a thousand vague ones.
Clarity beats complexity. Precision beats verbosity. No wasted lines, no empty fluff. The best writing leaves no room for confusion, only conviction.
2️⃣ Obsessing over perfection
This is a trap that keeps you stuck.
There is no final version of “the best”, only “better”.
Every masterpiece, every great work, every successful endeavour is the result of continuous improvement, not a flawless first attempt.
Perfection is an illusion, but progress is real. Instead of aiming for a perfect ending, focus on refining, evolving, and moving forward. Let go of the pressure to get it right the first time, because the only way to get better is to keep going.
3️⃣ Wasting time due to lack of strategy
Spending hours on ideas that don’t align with your overall plan is like running on a treadmill, you’re putting in effort but not moving forward. Creativity is valuable, but without direction, it can lead to endless detours.
The key is to filter ideas through a clear vision and strategy. If an idea doesn’t serve your bigger goal, set it aside and focus on what does. Time is your most precious resource, spend it wisely on what truly matters.
Key writing focus areas
This is where your 20% effort should go.
1️⃣ Clarity over complexity
Whether you write long-form or short-form content, clarity should always take priority over complexity.
A well-written piece isn't measured by its length but by how effectively it delivers its message. Overcomplicated writing may sound impressive, but if the reader struggles to grasp your point, you've lost them.
Simplicity, precision, and coherence make your ideas accessible, ensuring they resonate and stick. The goal isn’t to sound smart, it’s to be understood.
2️⃣ Seek improvements instead of perfections
Perfection is a moving target, always just out of reach. Obsessing over it only slows you down, trapping you in endless revisions and self-doubt. Instead, focus on making small, consistent improvements in every element of your writing,
your clarity
your structure
your storytelling
Over time, these incremental refinements compound, making you a better writer without the paralyzing weight of perfectionism.
Progress, not perfection, is what truly moves you forward.
3️⃣ Create your roadmap
Start with vision, continue with strategy, end with implementation.
First, your vision, ask yourself what do you want to achieve? It’s the driving force, the guiding star that will shape your decisions and actions.
Next, develop a strategy, this is the plan that outlines how you’ll get from where you are now to where you want to be. It’s the thoughtful process that ensures you don’t wander aimlessly.
Finally, implement. Without action, the vision and strategy are just ideas. Execution is where it all comes to life. The key is in the alignment: vision, strategy, and implementation, working together to turn your goals into reality.
4️⃣ Publishing consistently
Never underestimate the power of publishing consistently. The key to your writing success isn’t one perfect piece; it’s about showing up every day. Not all pieces will be great, but all contribute to your foundation of writing.
Quality will evolve from quantity. Each article, post, or note is another step forward. The more you publish, the more you refine your skills, and the more your audience learns to trust you. Consistency builds momentum, and over time, that momentum transforms into progress.
5️⃣ Feedback and iteration
Not all feedback is equal. Focus on the 20% of feedback that drives 80% of your improvement.
Get feedback from people who matter, your readers.
Apply lessons, but don’t overcorrect. Too much feedback can paralyze you.
Growth comes from action, not endless adjustments.
How to apply the pareto principle in your writing
Writing success comes from doing less of the wrong things and more of the right things.
Spend time prioritizing what truly matters. Instead of getting bogged down by distractions or overthinking, focus on the essentials, get clarity on your goals and what you want to achieve. By eliminating unnecessary noise and zeroing in on what works, you’ll make more significant progress in your writing journey.
Let every piece you write be an opportunity to refine your approach.
Dare to fail so you can dare to win - Moon AricaExpand your comfort zone here, tell me your thoughts:
Did you notice other Pareto Principles appearing in another aspect of your life?
More on writing:
Thanks for reading!
You are right on all counts.
Sometimes it's more time to talk about writing than do the writing itself. That's the trap I fall into most often.