Book Summary10x Is Easier Than 2x, by Dan Sullivan

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of 10x Is Easier Than 2x

What if the secret to success isn’t working harder but thinking bigger? In 10x Is Easier Than 2x, Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy argue that aiming for 10x growth in your career, business, or personal life is easier and more rewarding than aiming for 2x growth. They explain that 2x growth often requires you to just work harder, but 10x growth requires you to transform how you approach work and life. It forces you to focus on what matters most, leverage your special strengths, and think creatively to open up new paths and find new opportunities that put you in a league of your own.

Sullivan is a business coach,...

10x Is Easier Than 2x Summary The Transformative Power of 10x Growth

Sullivan and Hardy explain three reasons 10x growth is more achievable and transformative than 2x growth:

1. 10x growth makes you work smarter, not harder. When people try to achieve 2x growth, they typically do so by increasing their work and effort—putting in longer hours at the office, for instance. This approach is tiring, and it doesn’t lead to meaningful changes to how you work. Pursuing 10x growth is such a monumental task, however, that it drives you to rethink your approach. You simply can’t work 10 times harder or longer, so you’re forced to find new ways to work smarter. This ambitious level of growth sparks your creativity, helping you think up transformative solutions and continually grow yourself and your company.

(Shortform note: Alphabet’s X research division refers to the pursuit of 10x growth as “moonshot thinking.” Like Sullivan and Hardy, the head of X, Astro Teller, argues that 10x improvements push creativity and require bravery—the kind that put humans on the moon. X applies this thinking to tackling global problems and developing new technologies, and doesn’t just try...

10x Is Easier Than 2x Summary How to Achieve 10x Growth

Now that we’ve discussed the advantages of pursuing 10x growth over 2x growth, let’s turn our attention to the specific strategies and mindsets Sullivan and Hardy recommend for achieving this level of transformative growth.

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...

Shortform Exercise: Turn a 2x Goal Into a 10x Goal

Sullivan and Hardy argue that aiming for 10x growth is often easier and more rewarding than pursuing 2x growth. In this exercise, you’ll consider how to transform a current 2x goal into a 10x goal.

Think of a goal you’re pursuing that aims for a 2x improvement—like getting twice as many clients. What would a 10x version of that goal look like?

Shortform Exercise: Design Your Ideal Week for Peak Performance

Sullivan and Hardy write that we should organize our time into three types of days: rest days, prep days, and achievement days. In this exercise, you’ll examine your current schedule and design an ideal week that maximizes your productivity and creativity.

What would you do on your rest days to fully disconnect from work and engage in activities that help you relax and feel good? Consider hobbies, exercise, time with loved ones, or other pursuits.