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Leveraged Power of The 80/20 Rule

Posted on: April 14, 2010by Dr Kim Dr Hil

80-20 Rule

The 80-20 Rule, is a long-standing mathematical formula demonstrating that a small amount of effort or energy output (20%) is responsible for a large percentage (80%) of the results. It can be both challenging and exciting to fathom this ratio in the context of your day to day activities. Is it truly possible to maximize your efforts this dramatically such that you can be 80% more productive?

Working Smart vs. Working Hard

Successful people understand this principle. They call this working smart vs. working hard. When you acquire the skills of working smart vs. working hard you shift from doing to being. You recognize the necessity of energy and vitality to performing at your best. Consequently you prioritize time to recharge your batteries. When you work hard you prioritize work over everything else from social support to health to relaxation. This leads to feeling stressed out and overwhelmed vs. effective and efficient. On a biological level, you are living in survival mode where you are literally stuck in a small portion of your brain that focuses on protection. This part of your brain limits your capacity to think creatively thereby causing you to become inflexible, cluttered and rigid in your emotional breadth and cutoff from your intuition and receptivity. This is fertile ground for an undisciplined mind.

Quiet Your Mind to Access Deliberate Intent

When you quiet your mind you engage multiple benefits of working smart vs. working hard. A cluttered, undisciplined mind is not very effective at using the creative power of focus and deliberate intent. Bringing new goals into an undisciplined mind is like throwing pebbles into a stormy sea. The ripples will still occur, but they'll just be absorbed. As you quiet your mind you calm the sea of background thoughts. This creates an ideal environment to attract your goals with deliberate intent tapping effortlessly into the leveraged power of the 80/20 Rule.

Coaching and Counseling

Hilary Stokes Ph.D. and Kim Ward Ph.D. have been a team for 20 years, specializing in mind, body, spirit psychology. They are the authors of the bestselling books The Happy Map: Your roadmap to the habit of happiness and Manifesting Mindset: The 6-step formula for attracting your goals and dreams and founders of Authenticity Associates Coaching and Counseling. They are passionate about combining the best of holistic and traditional approaches to health and happiness. If you are interested in learning the answers to the most frequently asked questions on how to decrease stress and increase happiness sign up for their free video series.

About the Authors

Hilary Stokes Phd

HIlary Stokes, Ph.D., LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist in California with more than 25 years of clinical experience, specializing in trauma therapy, PTSD treatment, anxiety, depression, and nervous system healing. She holds Master's degrees in Clinical Social Work and Kinesiology and Sports Psychology and a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology with a specialization in Tibetan Buddhist Psychology. Dr. Stokes is extensively trained and certified in brainspotting, EMDR, somatic therapy and other mind body approaches. Her integrative work bridges neuroscience, mindfulness, and holistic psychology to help clients process unresolved trauma, rewire stress patterns, and build emotional resilience.

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Dr. Stokes’ clinical approach is informed by advanced professional training and her own healing journey from complex trauma, which shaped her commitment to therapies that go beyond traditional talk therapy. She has worked in psychiatric hospitals, addiction and PTSD treatment centers, universities, integrative medical facilities, and private practice. As co-developer of the psychology and wellness programming at Sanoviv Medical Institute, she witnessed firsthand the power of integrating mind and body for lasting transformation. Today she helps individuals heal trauma, strengthen emotional regulation and reclaim purpose through brainspotting, EMDR, somatic therapy and mindfulness interventions.

Kim Ward Phd

Kim Ward, Ph.D. holds both a masters and a doctorate in Transpersonal Psychology with a specialization in Tibetan Buddhist Psychology. She brings more than 25 years of experience in trauma recovery, Brainspotting and mind-body transformation. She is extensively trained and certified in Brainspotting, somatic therapy, and trauma-informed approaches. Dr. Ward integrates neuroscience, nervous system regulation and consciousness-based psychology to help individuals process unresolved trauma, shift limiting beliefs, and access greater emotional resilience. Her work focuses on healing at the root, beyond symptom management, through brain-body therapies that create lasting change.

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As co-developer of the psychology and wellness programs at Sanoviv Medical Institute, Dr. Ward brings a uniquely holistic perspective to trauma therapy and personal growth. Her path from corporate leadership into psychology shaped her commitment to helping clients move beyond external success toward embodied fulfillment and emotional freedom. Dr. Ward's expertise combines Brainspotting, emotional intelligence, contemplative psychology and purpose-driven coaching. Drawing from both advanced academic training and lived experience navigating complex family mental health dynamics, she supports clients in transforming stress patterns, reclaiming vitality, and aligning with authentic purpose.