How can you achieve 10x growth? Do you want to reap more rewards for every task you accomplish?
Unlike 2x growth, 10x growth transforms how you approach work and life, forcing you to focus on what matters most. In 10x Is Easier Than 2x, Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy recommend specific strategies and mindsets for achieving a specific level of transformative growth.
Keep reading to learn how to grow as a person and become a better version of yourself.
1. Narrow Your Focus
Sullivan and Hardy argue that to achieve 10x growth, you need to focus your efforts on just a few things and become truly exceptional at them. They write that it’s better to do a few things exceptionally well than to try to do a decent job with many things because the biggest rewards go to the best performers in any field. So, by becoming exceptional in a few things, you can achieve results that far exceed what you’d get by spreading yourself thin.
(Shortform note: While Sullivan and Hardy argue that specializing in a few things is the key to success, others argue that being a generalist who’s competent in many fields is more advantageous in today’s rapidly changing world. In Range, David Epstein says that unlike stable environments like sports where practicing one specific move leads to mastery, most real-world situations are unstable environments where today’s solutions might not work tomorrow. With modern technology automating more and more specialized tasks, the skills you gain in one area may quickly become obsolete. Because of this, Epstein recommends becoming a generalist with broad, strategic thinking skills that allow you to creatively handle new problems.)
2. Follow Your True Desires
Sullivan and Hardy argue that to achieve transformative growth, you must commit to pursuing your true desires in life. This means going after the things you want without needing to justify them to yourself or others.
The authors explain that we often hold back from going after things we want because we’re afraid of losing things we think we need—like money, status, or security. However, worrying too much about meeting these needs can limit your potential and keep you at mediocre levels of success. This way of thinking makes you more likely to play it safe or make compromises that go against your true desires or values. For example, you might stay in an unfulfilling job because you need the paycheck, instead of pursuing your dream career.
(Shortform note: According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, we first have to satisfy our basic physiological and safety needs before we can focus on higher-level needs like self-actualization. But sometimes we confuse real needs, like food and shelter, with markers of success that society dictates but aren’t actual needs, like wealth and status. In Your Erroneous Zones, Wayne W. Dyer writes that going after these things to meet society’s expectations prevents you from pursuing what you truly want. Dyer says that to go after what you want and be happy and fulfilled, you need to eliminate self-sabotaging behaviors like relying on other people’s approval or permission, and playing it safe instead of taking risks.)
3. Measure Progress Backward
Sullivan and Hardy argue that the way you measure progress has a big impact on how easily you can achieve transformational growth. It can either motivate you and help you build momentum, or it can discourage you and cause you to miss valuable lessons.
The authors write that many people judge their progress by how close they are to their end goals—like how many items they have left on their to-do list or how many chapters they have left to write for their book. However, judging progress this way can actually hinder your ability to reach your goals.
Instead of looking at how far you still have to go to reach your goal, the authors recommend you look backward to see how far you’ve come. Measuring progress backward is better for two reasons:
1. Greater satisfaction: Recognizing how far you’ve come makes every step feel like a win. In contrast, when you always measure against an ideal future state, you’ll feel discouraged and unsuccessful no matter how much you achieve.
2. Valuable learning: By reflecting on past experiences, you can extract valuable lessons that help you toward your goal. For example, if a product launch fails, you can identify what went wrong and improve for next time. In contrast, if you measure forward against your ideal outcome, you’ll consider the launch as an outright failure and move on without reflecting on ways to improve.
4. Manage Your Time for Productivity
Sullivan and Hardy argue that the traditional 9-to-5 workday is poorly suited for high productivity in our modern, knowledge-based economy. They contend that this outdated model, designed for early 20th-century factory systems, prioritizes busywork over creativity and innovation. To achieve transformative growth, you must focus on the value and impact of how you spend your time rather than the number of hours you work. By prioritizing high-impact activities and recovery time, you can dramatically increase your productivity and creativity.
(Shortform note: In Deep Work, Cal Newport also recommends you focus on high-value activities over simply putting in hours. He explains that deep work that creates real value (like strategic planning or creative problem-solving) requires intense focus. Most people can only handle about one to four hours of deep work per day, even with practice, so you need to intentionally schedule deep work time and protect it from distractions.)
5. Promote 10x Growth Within Your Company
If you’re an entrepreneur, Sullivan and Hardy suggest that you promote 10x growth within your business and build a self-sustaining company that operates smoothly without your day-to-day involvement. They explain that many entrepreneurs try to do everything themselves or micromanage the people they have working for them, which limits their company’s growth and creates bottlenecks in their business.
(Shortform note: In Clockwork, Mike Michalowicz describes three benefits to becoming a hands-off business leader: First, when employees manage day-to-day work, you can improve your company’s framework to prevent issues instead of constantly putting out fires. Second, since you’re no longer tied to urgent daily tasks, you gain the flexibility to work on your own schedule and achieve better work-life balance. Third, this freedom from constantly managing crises gives you the energy and motivation to think creatively about improving your business.)
