The 80/20 rule, or the Pareto Principle, tells us that 80% of what we need is in 20% of what we have. In organizing and in life. So what we need to do is focus on that 20% of stuff that is important, and perhaps let go of some of the 80% of what is not important.

For example, These 10 Items in my big white mailbox this morning:
1. (Mine) Food and Family magazine from Kraft
2. (Mine) Beverly Review, a local newspaper

Also in the mail box, for other members of the household:
3. Puzzle Buzz magazine (my youngest son’s)
4. Rolling Stone (my hubby’s)
5. A bill to pay (to my hubby’s desk for next time he pays bills)

And for the Recycling bin:
6. and 7. 2 copies of the same advertisement I don’t need sent to both Mary and Colleen Klimczak at this address;
8. Land’s End Kids catalog (don’t need anything right now);
9. a local grocery store ad flyer (done grocery shopping for the week); and
10. a reminder about a phone call we are going to get over the weekend, asking us for money (seriously, someone really did pay postage for that).

So, I need to take care of 2 of the 10 items, and the rest is either someone else’s responsibility or no use at all. I have spent more time (10 minutes) writing about the mail than it took me to whittle away the excess and deliver the mail to the end users in the house (3 minutes). I will focus on my 20% that needs me, and let the rest go!