80/20

I have often heard the 80/20 rule referenced in several different contexts, and mostly where most work is voluntary, but especially in church.  Twenty percent of the congregants do eighty percent of the work I've been told many times.  This may be true, but I think there's more to it.  I think my own personal experiences in college mirror what causes the 80/20 phenomena.


Partly due to a scholarship I had, partly due to a sense that I would need school activities on a resume one day, and partly due to a need I had at the time to feel important, I became overly involved on campus.  I had a work-study job, as many did, but was also involved with student government, residence hall government, leadership in my dorm floor, a weekly weather report for the school newspaper, and a few other things, all while maintaining a serious relationship with Golden.  For a while I did not know how to tell someone, "no," if they wanted me to contribute effort to something.  One specific semester I was in danger of losing my largest school scholarship when my GPA slipped simply because I was at my physical limit of what I could do.  I learned a lot about priorities during those years.

After that experience of being close to burnout for an extended period of time I became more willing turn down activities.  As an ardent introvert, I have struggled with where the line is and so have gone through busy and non-busy stretches.

I see the same behavior at work in church and in other volunteer situations.  It is not that twenty percent of the people are doing eighty percent of the work.  It is that twenty percent of the people are doing the work right now, and a huge portion of the other people are actively removing themselves from activities after having been burned out by being part of the twenty percent at some time in the past.  For whatever reason, volunteer situations cause people to get overworked when they have volunteered, and somehow encourage the view that, "I've put in my time."

Right now I feel on the busier side at church since I teach a class and do a few other things, but I have actively resisted a few different opportunities, and I suspect that I will actively resist others.  I know others who were very involved, got burned out, and completely and utterly removed themselves from teaching and administrative responsibilities as a result.  Maybe if I don't try to do too much I will not feel like I need a sabbatical from all responsibility in short order.

Perhaps organizations that rely on volunteers could learn from this and manage their resources more effectively so that the 80/20 rule doesn't have to continue being a thing.