How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less
Go 10x and watch your life become simpler, better, and more fun.
Consider this: you are the leader of a successful startup that initially saw rapid and impressive growth. But now you're hitting your head against a wall, stranded on an apparently endless plateau. You're working harder, longer, and more seriously than ever before, and you're lucky if the needle moves an inch.
Sounds familiar?
Our current educational and economic frameworks indicate that achievement follows a linear, finite, 2x model. Every unit of effort expended yields a commensurate unit of benefit. If you want to double your profit, prepare to double your hours.
However, many of us have found that this is different in practice. People who work 80-hour weeks may struggle to achieve the most modest gains, whereas those who take half a year off can reap exponential benefits.
Dan Sullivan can shed some light on this: people in the latter category think and behave ten times more. That is, nonlinearly, nonfinitely, literally 10 times.
If "going 10x" sounds daunting, you are correct. Going 10x entails regularly discarding the 80% of your vision, identity, and circumstances that no longer serve you. Going 10x entails accepting that what got you here will not get you to your next "there."
But there is another side to the 10x coin. If you're ready to fight through the initial growing pains, you'll find that life gets easier, better, and more enjoyable than you ever dreamed. Only some individuals pursue 10x since it appears to be an absurd amount. As a result, there is far less competition. In reality, the 10x level is routinely used for outrageously high-value collaboration.
Similarly, because 10x is so tricky, life automatically reduces to the most important. Only a few of your current thoughts and behaviours will lead to this 10x reality, so you focus on those and eliminate the rest. As a result, you end up doing less but accomplishing substantially more.
Sounds appealing?
In this brief, you will be introduced to the 10x method and provided a road map for rapid implementation. If you decide to commit, prepare to belt up. You will say goodbye to those plateaus for good.
1. 10 times is simpler.
Imagine you were requested to provide a list of strategies to boost your profits by 10%. If you had five minutes, you could come up with a few ideas.
Imagine you were asked to suggest ten ideas to boost your profit. Isn't the list considerably shorter?
If you've ever set a 2x objective like the one above, you'll understand how overwhelming it is to look at the sheer amount of viable options. Which one should you choose? Should you handle them all at once? In either case, where in the world would you find the extra time and energy?
When you establish a 10x target, like in the latter thought experiment, your possibilities are reduced to two or three. Your analysis paralysis and decision fatigue will decrease accordingly. Paradoxically, thinking ten times as frequently feels like an immense comfort!
You may be wondering, "What if I don't want to go 10 times?" What if I prefer 2x?
Aim for 10x anyhow. If nothing else, doing so will reveal the most likely path to your desired 2x and save you from an excruciating decision. You'll also allow yourself a more significant margin of error. As the often-quoted Norman Vincent Peale saying goes, "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll end up among the stars. It's significantly more demoralizing to fall just short of 2x than it is to land far from 10x.
For those who are willing to go all in, you will soon discover a second approach in which 10x goals become more accessible.
Thinking 10x reduces not only the number of possible paths to your objective but also the number of tasks and actions required to achieve it. If you're familiar with the 80/20 Rule or the Pareto principle, you'll understand why: in any setting, 80 per cent of outputs come from only 20 per cent of inputs.
Going 10x entails focusing entirely on the high ROI 20 per cent inputs - jobs and behaviours - which are virtually immediately apparent and simplify your life. You cut yourself free of the unnecessary - and it truly feels liberating - and instead focus on the vital.
Yes, giving up 80 per cent of your comfort zone for each 10x leap is a big deal. But only if you consider it a loss. After all, will you genuinely miss those restricting beliefs, energy-draining relationships, and low ROI tasks? Or are you more inclined to breathe a sigh of relief, feeling lighter for having shed those burdens?
2. 10 times is best.
If you had the choice, would you spend your days in the zone of mundanity or mastery?
The 10x life may not be for everyone, but having this option is for everyone.
As previously said, setting a 10x objective naturally shifts your focus from quantity to quality. That is, to the high ROI of 20%.
With the superfluous 80 per cent removed, you'll be able to focus on the quality of the remaining 20 per cent. And it is this focus on quality that allows your 10x target to become a reality.
In practice, this will result in a profound transformation in your identity and standards.
Your identity is the tale you tell about yourself, which you consciously or unconsciously support with your thoughts and behaviours. For example, you might be running an internal script that claims you're not "the type of person" who can live a 10-fold existence. Whether you realize it or not, you will think and act accordingly, in this case, by limiting your perception of what is possible in your life.
Similarly, your standards will be unconscious commitments until you make them conscious. Your standards are the minimum bar that your ideas and behaviours must meet, and they are intimately related to your sense of self. For example, someone who believes they cannot reach 10x will have quite different expectations than someone who thinks they can.
Consider your present identity and norms. Is your self-story meticulously created or a collection of preserved narratives? Is your minimal bar tolerating stagnation or inspiring change?
There is no judgment if you are in the latter camp today; we all started someplace. Thankfully for us, Sullivan has outlined a four-step approach for us to 10x our identity and standards in order to accomplish our 10x goal.
The first step is to commit to transformation. Growth cannot occur unless you desire it.
Then, in order to take action, you must muster the guts to abandon your dual aims, identity, and expectations. To leave 80% of your comfort zone behind.
As you take action, you will get the new skills needed to achieve your 10x goal, identity, and standards. As you hone these skills, you'll build a strong sense of self-confidence, which will allow you to go 10x again and again.
You can develop an interest in 10x leaps in the same way that some individuals enjoy extreme sports. Don't let your first apprehension prevent you from enjoying the richness of experience that awaits you on the other side.
3. 10x is more fun.
Perhaps leaping out of an aeroplane isn't on your list of "fun" activities. However, as mentioned in the previous section, there is another type of jump, the 10x jump, that can provide a great deal of happiness and enjoyment.
The final feature of 10x we'll discuss before moving on to two practical tasks is the distinction between desire and requiring.
A life lived chasing "needing" contributes to the scarcity mindset. Unfortunately, this is the society's default setting. Everything needs to be justified. Everyone must be on their watch against everyone else.
On the other side, living a life based on "wanting" promotes an abundant attitude. By definition, manifesting a 10x life entails creating chances and resources that did not exist before. In truth, these possibilities and resources may only have existed if you had taken the initiative to develop them.
In this way, the concept of desiring is the polar opposite of selfishness. With this mindset, you and the people around you can experience abundance.
What this comes down to is twofold. First and foremost, a desired mindset and a 10x identity are inextricably linked. No one "needs" exponential or nonlinear growth, but you can overcome both of these constraints and become someone who does.
Second, 10x goals merely necessitate a wanting mindset. 10x goals can only be achieved by plenty, which can only be obtained through desire.
When you become unapologetic about wanting something because you want it, you find and cultivate what Sullivan refers to as your unique ability.
10x goals are very personal. Nobody will want exactly what you do. As a result, the 10x identity you create by doubling down on your 20 per cent will be radically unique and specialized, increasing your value endlessly. You've transcended beyond competing with others and into flow. Life becomes intrinsically invigorating and exciting, and sharing such sophisticated skills with others becomes one of your greatest pleasures.
It goes against everything you've ever been told, yet you'll quickly realize it's true: 10x is actually simpler, better, and more enjoyable.
4. You've gone 10 times before.
Sullivan is one of those "there are two kinds of people in this world" sorts. According to him, some people live in "the gap" while others live in "the gain."
Those living in the gap compare themselves to where they believe they could or should be. While principles are acceptable, they can become problematic when utilized as the only measure of self-worth. Ideals, like the horizon, provide direction but cannot be achieved.
Those who live in the gain compare themselves to where they started. Instead of continually feeling inferior to their future self, they are constantly feeling superior to their past self.
This appreciative rather than disparaging perspective implies that those in power see life as unfolding for them, not against them. Even the most challenging and stressful situations are portrayed as opportunities to learn, grow, and discover more profound meaning.
Which camp do you most frequently find yourself in?
The following exercise highlights one of the most significant effects these two mindsets have on your 10x life.
Reflecting on your trip thus far, can you pinpoint a previous 10x jump? Most people will be able to find at least one. Most folks will be able to see five or more with a thorough examination.
This activity represents the gain attitude in action. It serves as a potent reminder that you, like everybody else, have the potential for a 10x future. You've gone 10 times before. You can go ten times more.
Those who live in the gap may find this activity unpleasant and uncomfortable. However, this is not a happy-clappy practice. Sullivan goes so far as to argue that you can only move forward once you've honoured your story backwards.
So, if you're currently spinning your wheels and getting nowhere, consider whether recognizing, rather than reprimanding, yourself may be the key to loosening those tyres and getting you back up and flying.
5. You'll go 10 times again.
Hopefully, you're feeling pumped up at this time. You've discovered that going 10 can be more accessible, better, and more enjoyable than you previously thought, and you've realized that you've already demonstrated capability. In this final session, we'll look at two practical methods to manage your life so that 10x is your default.
The first step is to discard the industrial notion of linear, quantifiable time.
Although few of us are still hired to churn out widgets on a production line, the majority of us have maintained this time paradigm - to our peril. Factory line time was not intended for creativity or flow, let alone 10x results!
Performers, such as athletes and entertainers, use a nonlinear and qualitative view of time. They function in three unique modes, each of which takes up entire days, weeks, or even months. The three modes are preparation, performance, and recovery.
This hyper-focused, super-specific paradigm lends itself nicely to a 10-fold existence. After all, consistent 10x performance necessitates 10x preparation and recovery.
Most of us value the preparation aspect. We could make better use of these opportunities, but we all agree that planning is essential. What needs to be more commonly acknowledged is the importance of recuperation.
Sullivan refers to recovery days as "Free Days" and insists that working less and recovering more will yield 10x the results. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? Okay, here's a challenge: Block off numerous Free Days for the next month, quarter, or year; this seems a little daunting. Then, track your results for that period. If you actually commit to leaving work on such days, you could be astonished at what you discover.
Sullivan's second technique follows a similar theme: empowering your team to manage itself. That is, without you. High achievers need to improve their ability to be a bottleneck in their own or their company's progress. Their desire to be immersed in the details of day-to-day operations, while admirable, eventually keeps them or their team at 2x. They frequently need to remember that their objective is to focus on their highest ROI (20 per cent). It is up to their staff to manage the remaining 80%.
Now, you may be thinking, "I don't have a team, so this doesn't apply to me," but Sullivan would argue that you've just demonstrated otherwise. If you're a solopreneur who is genuinely committed to reaching 10x, he expects you to have at least a part-time personal assistant. Sullivan expects those whose 10x "work" isn't "work" in the traditional sense, such as running the family home, to employ help.
Your Unique Ability is unique because only you can perform it. With some clever - and bold - life restructuring, you can put more of it into the world, adding enormous value to yourself and those around you.
Final Summary
Going 10x leads to a life beyond your wildest aspirations.
If you want to advance in your personal or professional life, you must abandon your 2x thinking and practices. While losing that 80 per cent may seem complicated, you'll quickly realize that going 10x is ultimately simpler, better, and more enjoyable than is commonly imagined.
The 10x life is not for everyone, but it offers endless transformation and reward to those who choose to seek it.