#2 May The Force Be With You
Force Multipliers
Observation:
From afar, people often wonder how I get so much done.
Up close, people often wonder why I am not doing more.
It seems contradictory.
It’s not.
The simplest way I can think to explain it is this: imagine you’re tasked with chopping down a giant tree. You have a choice:
Option 1: An average sized hatchet; about 13 inches long and a little under 2 pounds or…
Option 2: An average wood-cutting axe; about 34 inches and a little over 3 pounds.
If you choose option 1, you will do a lot more work.
If you choose option 2, you will make a lot more progress - get more done - in the same time period.
See the difference?
The axe gets more done than the hatchet. The hatchet gets more done than if you held the metal head in your hand and swung it at the tree.
The handle acts as a Force Multiplier.
Force Multiplier: A tool that amplifies effort to produce a greater output. The tool can be a technology, a skill, or a strategy.
A force multiplier results in either:
The same output with less effort
More output with the same effort or
Exponentially more output with a little extra effort.
Engineering a greater output with the same input is engineering asymmetry. Some force multipliers are obvious. You hit a nail with more force with a hammer than you do with the same effort and your bare hand.
Some are less obvious.
First, we have to appreciate compounding returns. Many force multipliers appear to be linear on a short timeline. On a longer timeline, they compound to create outsized results.
Imagine an investor learns a new principle. If applied, this principle will increase his average performance by 5%. 5% on each trade he makes compounds to many millions of extra dollars. The principle is a force multiplier if applied consistently.
Then, we have to appreciate fundamentals.
The greatest force multipliers are the fundamentals. Basic, universal principles give us a slight edge in everything we do. we get a little more output out of every minute if we apply the basics.
When things aren't going your way or you want greater results, go back to the basics. Forget the complicated stuff.
Want better results in the gym? Drink more water and get better sleep. Until you can do that consistently, all the complicated stuff has diminished returns.
A new routine and a few supplements might give you a tiny, momentary boost. Proper hydration and sleep will improve the quality of your exercise, focus, and recovery. It will even make those fancy new supplements more effective.
Force multiplier.
Lastly, we must understand sequencing and our sense of urgency
Humans aren't great at either.
Sense of Urgency: mistaking what feels urgent for being high leverage or a top priority. Urgency hijacks our monkey minds and prevents us from seeing or creating leverage.
We want to get in better shape now, so we don't have time to fix our sleep. It's a process and we want a shortcut.
We have a pile of work on our desks now, we don't have time to learn how to type a little faster. (I take a typing program every year. An hour a day to make every other hour of my life on the computer more effective)
We need to chop down as many trees as possible today, can't waste time sharpening the axe.
A sense of urgency will have us swinging a dull axe and finger-pecking our way through the day. Those that take the time to sharpen the axe will lose a step today on us, and blow right past us tomorrow.
Sequencing: mistaking the thing you want to do most as the thing to do first.
If you want to master many skills, first master mastery. By doing so, you will be able to master many more skills, at a much deeper level, much more efficiently.
If you want to make better decisions, practice examining logic, reasoning, and evidence.
I'm guessing there is something you want to do at a high level. Whether it's chopping down trees, writing novels, getting in shape, or having a great relationship, there is always something. Whatever that thing is, a force multiplier is hiding in plain sight. It will amplify your future efforts and compound into outsized returns.
It may be worth taking a step back today to slingshot forward tomorrow.
Be intentional about the order in which you do things. Prioritize the force multipliers. Develop habits that allow those returns to compound over time.
Simplicity.
Another force multiplier.
Nic
PS. In many ways, the internet is a force multiplier. In others’ direct mail is a more powerful one. We’ve been putting our best stuff into the direct mail Letter and the outcome has been astonishing. If you like to read stuff, check it out:
My book, Bumpers, can be found right here. I set it as low as Amazon would let me so price wouldn’t be prohibitive.
For social stuff… I write a lot. Most of the final edits end up in the Letter, which you can learn more about here. The raw stuff ends up on my Twitter, here. I use it as my personal notepad.