The 80/20 Rule: Doing Less to Achieve More ⚡

I Spent Less Than an Hour on Uni Assignments Every Day (And Still Get Top Grades). And before you think I’m full of shit and brag about you studying 16 hours a day as if you are a productivity guru, read this out …

Here’s a question that will change the way you work:
If you only had two hours a week to work on your goal, what would you do? 🤔

I love this question because it forces you to prioritize what actually matters. Let’s say your goal is to get good grades. You wouldn’t say, “I’m going to highlight the textbook and write pretty notes.” No. You’d say something like, “I’m going to do past papers and revise what’s actually going to be on the exam.”

When you limit your time, you see the truth—most of your day is spent on things that don’t matter. And this is why most students waste hours “studying” but never get anywhere. ❌📚

I Study Less Than an Hour Per Day (And Still Do Just Fine)

I don’t even do two hours per day. Hell, I barely study at all. I only study one hour per day, two weeks prior to an exam. And before you say “Uni is important,” I never said it isn’t. I just have more important priorities.

🔥 Training, business, filming, blogging—those are my focus. Those build my personal brand. Those showcase who I am and the value I bring to the world. Not some bookworm with a college degree.

Then of course, if your only goal is to get good grades, you should allocate more time and make it a proper only goal. But if you also have other goals, like starting a company, getting a 6-pack, becoming an artist, suddenly, school or 9-to-5s feels like a side quest. You either need to find ways to make time for yourself, or to cut back on things that matter but may not matter as much as your other priorities.

How I Optimize Every Second of My Day

I still play video games, sometimes. But here’s the difference—I train four hours per day.

Not separate four-hour blocks, but throughout the day:

  • Traveling to school? I run. 🏃‍♂️
  • Cooking? I do pull-ups. 💪
  • Breaktime at school? Push-ups. 🔥
  • Recovery after running? Shadow sparring and stretching. 🥋

Yet, I still maintain a nearly 3.6 GPA. 🎓

Why Most University Knowledge is Useless

Here’s the truth: 80% of what you learn in university will be forgotten within a few days. 📉

👉 Why? Because knowledge without repetition and deep understanding fades away. Studies on memory retention (Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve, 1885) show that without constant reinforcement, you forget most of what you learn in just a matter of days.

And even if you do remember, the real question is: Does it even matter? ❌

University is an Illusion—The Real World is a Different Game

University teaches you how to fight a dragon with an army of four nations and a nuclear bomb. 🔥🐉💣

Real life? You have to fight a bear with a stick. 🐻🥢

Quick breakdown of the analogy:

  • University: You get unlimited resources, study plans, structured guidance, and theoretical knowledge.
  • Real Life: You get thrown into a chaotic battlefield with no money, no connections, no guaranteed path. You have to figure things out yourself.

And guess what? When you graduate, you don’t get to keep the “nuclear bomb.” You get a degree that’s about as useful as a participation trophy. 🎖️

Who Would You Hire? GPA vs. Real-World Skills

Let’s get real. Which one of these two would a company hire? 🤔

Option A: A guy with scholarships, a 3.6 GPA who followed the system obediently. 📚 Option B: A guy with NO scholarships, a 3.2 GPA, but who:

  • Runs his own learning journey blog 📖
  • Has a YouTube channel documenting how he coded Minecraft in 12 hours 🎥💻
  • Built a personal brand that showcases real skills

The answer is obvious. Real-world skills beat theoretical knowledge. Period. 🚀

Even top CEOs agree that GPAs are worthless as a hiring criterion. 📉

  • Laszlo Bock, former Senior VP of People Operations at Google: “GPA scores are worthless as a hiring criteria and do not predict anything.”
  • Elon Musk, Founder of Tesla & SpaceX: “A degree is essentially a piece of paper. Skills and ability matter far more.”

The Harsh Truth: University is Wasting Your Time ⏳

If 80% of what you learn gets forgotten and most of it won’t even help you in real life, what does that mean? 🤯

It means you’re wasting time. Not because learning isn’t valuable, but because the way universities teach is outdated and inefficient. Instead of sitting in lectures, cramming, and memorizing useless theories, that time could be used for things that ACTUALLY move the needle in your life.

Here’s what you should be doing instead: ✅ Building a personal brand (blog, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn) 📢
✅ Learning high-income skills (copywriting, coding, sales, video editing) 💰
✅ Creating something that proves your value (freelancing, content, projects) ⚒️ ✅ Networking with the right people (mentors, successful entrepreneurs) 🤝 ✅ ✅ Optimizing your body and mind (training, nutrition, self-improvement) 🏆

This is how you win in the real world.

Cut the Distractions—Focus on What Actually Matters

Maybe you’re not like me. Maybe you need more time to study. That’s fine. Instead of two hours, maybe you need three or four.

All I’m saying is: prioritize the 1 or 2 things that matter most and cut out everything else.

I guarantee you, if you analyze your day properly, you can save HOURS of your time.

So tomorrow, genuinely ask yourself:
If I only had two hours a week to work on my goals, what would I do?

Now do those 1 or 2 vital tasks and cut out the rest. 🔥

By the end of the day, you’ll have done less, but accomplished more. 🎯

That’s real productivity. 🚀

Final Words

🚀 Take Control—Do Less, Achieve More

Productivity isn’t about doing more—it’s about cutting the BS and focusing on what actually moves the needle. If this post hit home, dive deeper into the strategies that will make you unstoppable.

🔗 Explore More from MindsetEchos:

  • 🧠 Health: Discover the science of mental and physical wellness.
  • ⏳ Productivity: Master your time and energy with actionable strategies.
  • 💸 Finance: Shift your money mindset and build lasting wealth.
  • 💞 Relationships: Strengthen connections with yourself and others.
  • ✨ Self-care: Nurture your mental and emotional well-being.

📚 Dive Into My Other Blogs:

  • 🏋️‍♂️ TrainingEchos: Everything about fitness, from nutrition and recovery to martial arts and even recipes.
  • 💼 WealthEchos: Insights into branding, tools, solopreneurship, investment, and mindset.
  • ✨ ElegantEchos: Reflections on life, relationships, and ambitions.

⚡ Don’t Just Read—Apply It.
Connect with me on LinkTree or stay a while here on MindsetEchos to dive deeper into life’s big questions. Share this post with someone stuck in the grind-without-results cycle. Drop a comment below: What’s ONE thing you’re cutting out to move faster this week? Let’s make progress inevitable. 🚀