Quality Not Quantity

Others usually remember the quality of our work, not how much work we do.

Based on that, they will choose the person with the best track record in terms of quality when they need someone for an important job. The reason, simply, is they don't want someone who is likely to mess up an important job; they want someone who will perfect it.

Strangely enough, I read somewhere that 80 percent of revenues come from 20 percent of the work. That is to say vital work in an organization constitutes about 20 percent of the actual work being done.

That would lead us to the assumption that if a person puts in some extra effort to perfect or increase the quality of that all important 20 percent of his work, he will be a likely candidate for promotion and attention!

I have pondered on 20/80 percent concept for some time, and found it applicable in a many different contexts, based of course on its accurateness.

For example, it's not how much time you spend with your wife and children that is important; what is important is how you spend that time. Take the prophet, salla Allah alaih wa sallam, he had nine wives and many duties and obligations toward the Immah. But he was the best of husbands and the best of leaders at the same time. All who new him loved him. Although he spent little individual time with each one of them, that time was quality time wherein he treated them with love and respect.

When you come to think about it, this concept may hold the answer for the question why do we treat strangers better than we treat family and friends? Perhaps the reason is that the time we spend with them, although short, is spent in kind respectful actions and words. We have no reason to treat them other than in kind and respectful way. So what was important in this casual interaction was the quality of the time spent, not the quantity of time. In fact, in many cases, the quality of a relationship deteriorates with time.

Even religiously, it's not how much prayers you do; it's how you do them. Ibn Rajab mentions that the worship of later disciples was more than that of the companions of the prophet, sala Allah alaih wa sallam. He further says that that doesn't mean they are better than the companions. This is because the companions faith was stronger and their worship more sincere; quality again.
In fact, the same can be said about all other forms of worship.

In the end, it's not how long you have lived, but how you've decided to live it.

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