Hi change maker,
Tim Ferriss, first introduced me to the 80/20 rule as well as helped make stick the medical practice of, minimum effective dose with his first 2 books, the 4 Hour Workweek and the 4 Hour Body. I think they're good questions to ask yourself (what 20% effort, will yield 80% of the results) and (what's the minimum amount needed to yield the desired result) so I often ask them and then find ways to set it and forget it by implementing the habits into my life.
One question you may have had also, was how can I get more energy?
Always loving to play, to play sports and to move, moving was my answer. Move more = Get more energy (maybe not always in the short term, but over the long haul for sure).
So what if I / you schedule workouts, sports and events to train for and build in walking and active movement (chores, free play and active meet ups / meetings). That's a great start.
And if lean mass (muscle) is associated with metabolism (the more muscle you have = the higher your metabolism) and metabolism = energy (the higher your metabolism = the more energy you have), then what if I / you / we make some of those scheduled workouts (muscularly fatiguing one's like strength training and/or metabolic resistance training). Wouldn't that help ensure we had more energy?
And if lean mass (muscle) is high maintenance (hard to build and keep) unless you do muscularly fatiguing activities, what if we helped ensure the maintenance and promotion of it, by being thoughtful with our nutrition, the foods that help promote muscle building?
What if there were specific, minimum amounts of certain food groups we could eat to ensure we were providing enough nutrients to build muscle, so we could have a higher metabolism and gain more energy to live our best life?
Well, I'm sure you know what's coming now. The minimum amounts to set and forget (for your basic meals) and actively practice when eating non-routine meals.
The following information is what I learned at the Eat. Lift. Build. Conference jointly hosted by the NSCA (National Strength & Conditioning Association) and the NEACSM (Northeast American College of Sports Medicine). Enjoy!
1.6g/kg/day of protein is the minimum effective dose to build lean muscle. More than that has no better rate of muscle protein synthesis.
3. Divide that number by the number of meals / snacks / shakes per day to get your per meal goals.
Example: Coach Mike
180 lb. male x 2.2 kg/lb = 82kg 82kg x 1.6g = 131g/day
Meals / Day = 4 on strength days and 3 on non-strength days. 131/4 = 33g/day on strength days. 131/3 = 44g/day on cardio days.
For reference: Mike's Cardio Day Breakfast
4 Large Brown Organic Egg = 24g Protein. 3/4 C Black Beans = 12g Protein 2 thumbs of mixed nuts = 3g Protein 3 cups of raw spinach = 3g Protein 2 compari tomatoes = ~1g Protein Total Protein = 24+12+3+3+1=43g
Coaches Note: successful people and unsuccessful people do the same things over and over and that includes what they eat. Make thoughtful adjustments to what you eat, to make sure you're getting enough protein in at your meals. Set it and forget it. Based on the math above, I'm about 1g short and I don't always have black beans which are higher in protein than the other legumes we eat on the regular (chick peas-8.9g, kidney beans-10) or 2 slices of Dave's Killer Bread (5g/slice) I eat sometimes too, so I'll have to update my breakfast to get a little more.
Coaches Tip: If you don't want to go crazy with all the math, use the Precision Nutrition Portion guidelines below. | 
