Do you want to make incredible progress? How can you measure your achievements?
In 10x Is Easier Than 2x, Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy reveal how to measure progress in a way that can transform your path to success. Their insights show a way that builds momentum and unlocks unprecedented personal growth.
Keep reading to discover why looking backward, not forward, might be the game-changing perspective you need.
Measure Progress Backward
Sullivan and Hardy argue that how you measure progress greatly impacts 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.
(Shortform note: Research shows that how you measure progress really does matter. According to a study of knowledge workers, making progress in work that’s personally meaningful is the single most important factor in boosting satisfaction and motivation at work. Even small wins and minor steps forward can create disproportionately positive effects and increase creativity and productivity. At the same time, setbacks have the opposite effect, with small losses causing people to feel unmotivated and consider the day a “bad day.” So, measuring progress in a way that feels like you’re moving toward your goal keeps you motivated and productive.)
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.
(Shortform note: While looking back can be motivating, be careful not to fall into the “I’m-Making-Progress” trap. In The Willpower Instinct, Kelly McGonigal explains this trap as when you feel so good about the progress you’ve made toward a goal that you give yourself permission to slack off. For example, after setting up a home office for your new business, you might reward yourself with a TV binge instead of working on your business. Because of this, McGonigal recommends you ask yourself “How committed am I to my goal?” instead of “How much progress have I made?” By reminding yourself of your commitment, you can maintain momentum and avoid the pitfall of using good behavior to justify procrastination.)
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.
(Shortform note: Gretchen Rubin’s look back/look forward exercise shows the importance of both looking backward and looking ahead. She suggests meeting with friends every year to reflect on the past year’s accomplishments and set intentions for the future. Rubin argues that while the backward-looking part is energizing, the forward-looking aspect is important for articulating goals, planning adventures, and staying focused on big projects. This balanced approach of reflecting on progress while also setting future intentions can help you stay both satisfied with your achievements and excited about what’s to come.)
Review Your Past Achievements
One way to measure backward is to review times when you’ve achieved transformative growth in the past. Sullivan and Hardy suggest you think about milestones like getting your first job, traveling abroad for the first time, or starting your career. At each stage, you grew far beyond what you could have imagined and developed new skills that are core to who you are today. Reviewing past achievements also normalizes the process of pursuing 10x growth—you realize it’s possible because you’ve done it before.
The authors suggest you also identify patterns in your growth and recognize the special strengths that consistently helped you succeed. Think about the 20% of efforts that drove your progress and the 80% you let go of to make room for growth. For example, if you transitioned from an entry-level position to a team leader, your 20% might have included developing leadership skills and building relationships with colleagues. The deprioritized 80% could have been tasks that didn’t contribute to leadership, like pointless busy work such as attending unnecessary meetings or creating reports that no one reads.
| Use Journaling to Aid in Reflection Research suggests that reflection as the authors suggest can greatly improve your performance. Even 15 minutes at the end of the day can help: Research shows that after 10 days, employees who spent this time on reflection improved their performance by 23% compared to those who did not. To make self-reflection easier, consider journaling about your achievements and the lessons you’ve learned so that you can remember them in better detail. In The Miracle Morning, Hal Elrod provides suggestions for getting started: Choose a format that works for you (digital or paper), set aside time each day to write, and focus on recording accomplishments, gratitudes, and areas for improvement. By making journaling a habit, you’ll create a reliable record of your growth journey, making it easier for you to identify your 20% of high-impact efforts and the 80% you can let go of to make room for further progress. |
Develop the Skills for Your Next Transformative Growth
Sullivan and Hardy write that measuring progress backward helps you recognize the qualities and abilities you want to improve in yourself to prepare for your next transformative growth. By understanding what worked in the past, you can then consciously decide on which qualities to strengthen for your future growth and commit to developing them fully. The authors explain that whatever you focus on, you become. For instance, if you want to be a great teacher, you might focus on developing creativity, empathy, and a deep knowledge of your subject. The more specific you are, the easier it becomes to take action and develop those skills.
To accelerate your growth and skill-building, the authors recommend that you envision a “dream check”—imagine a check for a large sum of money you’d like to receive in the future. Then, clarify the skills and abilities you need to develop for someone to happily pay you that amount. For example, if you aim to start a successful tech company, you might focus on improving your coding skills, business knowledge, and ability to pitch to investors.
| Develop Skills Through Experimentation Sullivan and Hardy explain how to identify the skills and knowledge you need to make your next 10x jump, but they don’t elaborate on how to acquire them. In Ultralearning, Scott Young provides guidance for learning skills quickly and effectively. He suggests experimenting with different learning approaches instead of sticking to one method. He points to Vincent van Gogh as an example: The famous painter tried hundreds of techniques, materials, and perspectives until he found what worked best for him, allowing him to develop his unique artistic style while mastering fundamental skills. Young outlines five experimentation methods to develop new skills: 1) Replicate: Start by copying experts in your field to build foundational skills. Study how they approach problems and imitate their methods so you can learn proven strategies and identify areas to focus your practice. 2) Compare: Try two different approaches and change just one variable at a time. This gives you immediate information about the impact of that variable, helping you identify which approach is best for you. 3) Constrain: Challenge yourself with constraints, like practicing a language with people who don’t speak your native tongue. 4) Diversify: Pick up seemingly unrelated skills. Combining abilities in unique ways, like nursing and art for example, can open up niche opportunities and help you make creative connections. 5) Explore: Explore the extremes—whether that’s using bold colors in painting or tackling complex projects. Pushing the boundaries expands your experience and understanding of what’s possible. Young asserts that the key to successful experimentation is pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone. Intentionally experimenting with techniques can help you develop the skills you’ll need to earn your “dream check.” |
