One of the boldest new ideas in the world of success-literature is the concept of 10x -thinking. I’m a big fan, and if you haven’t come across it yet, here’s a very quick introduction. 

10x-thinking says, ‘Don’t try to make something 10% better, 10% cheaper or 10% faster. Instead, aim to make it 10x better, cheaper or faster.’ 

There’s a sound principle behind this radical shift. When we aim for a 10% improvement, our thinking remains extremely conventional. Essentially, we’re in ‘optimise’ mode. 

However, when we require our patterns of thought to go for 10x greater answers, we are forcing entirely different and completely radical approaches to the same problem. You cannot optimise your way to a ten-fold change. You have to come up with completely different ways of doing things. 

Here are some 10x-style challenges you could put to yourself: 

  1. How could I increase my number of paying clients ten-fold?
  2. How could I increase my income ten-fold? (Note: This is not necessarily the same thing as the previous question)
  3. How could I increase my media coverage ten-fold?
  4. How could I make my product or offering ten times more compelling?
  5. How could I increase my productivity or output ten-fold? 

This week, challenge yourself to think about - and then implement - some ten-x improvements in your career, and become the greatest in your game.