One of the questions I’ve asked many people over the years when I’ve watched them having a bad day at work is, “Are we having fun yet?”  The first question was meant to simply lighten the moment, earning at least some semblance of a smile.  But my follow up would be, “Do you enjoy your job?”  It’s a very basic question but it’s led to some very interesting responses.  

Most pause to think before answering.  There’s an occasional, “No”. But most individuals begin with a qualifier such as, “You mean, today?” or “Overall?”  And some are so caught up in the frustration of the moment, they can’t even consider anything beyond their current state of frustration.

After a typical response I’d follow up more specifically.  “Do you enjoy your job at least four out of five days in a typical work week?”  Most of the time, I would get at least a measured “yes.”  There’ve been a handful of individuals who simply weren’t in the right job at that time, and both of us would eventually figure that out.  But for most, the whole tone of the conversation tended to pivot into a more thoughtful and positive direction.  It didn’t fix their problem at the time, but it generally broadened the scope of their perspective.

This practice began with me using this approach on myself as somewhat of a “mood adjuster” when I was wrestling with a specific problem or issue at work.  We all have those days, and not just occasionally.  I learned that when I wasn’t careful, I would get so caught up in that specific problem of the moment, I would let it overshadow my overall mood on the job that day—or maybe even that week.  Another Seinfeld quote here, “That’s not gonna be good for anybody.”

For myself, I found that if I could honestly conclude that I was generally happy at work a minimum of four out of five days in a typical week, that translated to a pretty good match between me and my current job.  Now, when my assessments began dropping below that 80% threshold on a regular basis, I eventually found it was time to begin considering other available options.  And that decision was likely in the best interest of both me and my employer.

History records Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923) as an Italian economist, sociologist and engineer.  Interesting combo.  He’s most remembered for his work on how income is spread across groups of people.  In short, he found that somewhere around 80% of Italy’s wealth was owned by 20% of the population.  

Pareto didn’t have access to Instagram or X back then, so his work was slower to gain recognition. Yet, others who read his work over the decades began to observe how many other things in life appeared to follow this same 80/20 pattern—hence, the Pareto Principle was born.  It’s also referred to as the 80/20 Rule.  

Consider that roughly 20% of patients consume 80% of healthcare costs.  Twenty percent of investments tend to contribute 80% of a portfolio's returns.  And 80% of crimes tend to be committed by only 20% of the offenders.  The full list of these 80/20 findings is very long.

In marketing, we find that roughly 20% of promotional campaigns deliver 80% of the customer leads, and 80% of customer complaints tend to come from 20% of the customers.  (There’s another lesson forthcoming on this one!)  And the most famous one, 20% of one’s products tend to generate 80% of a company’s sales.  Just ask Apple.  As of late 2024, half of their total revenue was coming from a phone.

In summary, this 80/20 rules applies to a wide range of areas in our lives where a relatively small percentage of the “causes” lead to an overwhelming majority of the “results.”

Using similar logic, I began to observe that many of us let 20% of the stressors we face on the job (and in life) lead to 80% or more of our moods.  For most of us, there are five workdays in a week, so four out of five days is 80% of the week. If we can thoughtfully conclude that we typically enjoy our job four out of five days a week, we’re actually in a pretty good situation, right?

So, why would we allow 20% (or less) of our work unpleasantries dictate our enjoyment when well over 80% of that time was actually a positive experience.  I found it was far healthier for me (and those around me) to let the 80% category have a greater say in determining my job satisfaction.

I found this little self-check to help me in keeping a healthier perspective as I proceeded through some very stressful work weeks.  And I eventually clarified it for some who asked that it was more about how much time in a given week that was positive, as opposed to an actual four out of five days tally.  If I was being completely honest in my assessments, I had to admit that even the worst day of the week also included some positive experiences.  And there were, of course, some challenges on about any day.

Back to the lesson title. While Jeopardy doesn’t disclose the actual percentage of which contestants win a specific share of the prize money, the pattern suggests that a small percentage of contestants (likely 20% or fewer) account for a substantial percentage of total prize monies doled out. Who is “Pareto,” Alex? The four out of five-day challenge. Try it. 

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By the way, Pareto’s personal views weren’t fully consistent with traditional conservative or liberal ideologies.  Instead, he appeared to be a complex thinker who attempted to analyze social systems without idealistic biases.  Refreshing.