
If you are not living 10x, you are missing out.
10x is a modern virtue. It comes through in our thoughts, our actions, and our goals.
Here’s why it exists and how we can live it.
Table of Contents
Defining 10x as a Modern Virtue
10x isn’t a virtue that classical philosophers identified and came up with.
It is not a virtue with a long philosophical tradition behind it like goodness, self-discipline or resilience.
10x is a virtue that has evolved out of necessity in the modern world.
This necessity is that we live in a world with more information, more people, more competition and plenty more distractions.
I first learned about 10x from Grant Cardone and his book of the same name.
In practice, the concept is what it sounds like – you aim ten times higher in your goals and thinking.
You put in 10x the effort, energy and actions that you would normally do.
But there is a nuance to it.
Yes, you have to go above and beyond and get far more done than what you ever thought was possible.
But it is not just about taking the societal benchmark and multiplying it by ten. It’s about taking what you think you are capable of doing, and expanding that.
Examples of Living 10x
Actions done 10x are simple.
Writing one article? No, write six.
Closing one deal today? No, close three.
You are capable of doing more than you think, and there is no reason not to do it.
Practicing 10x Daily
Practicing the modern virtue of 10x on a daily basis is about completing your outcomes for the day… and then doing some more.
Developing the Modern Virtue of 10x
Developing 10x in your life is all about mindset.
Inner game and Mindset
You start with your inner game.
This is the attitude that you are always capable of doing more than you think.
It begins with your goals and targets.
Whatever your current goals and outcomes are – make them bigger. They don’t need to be a literal 10x bigger, but they can be more than you have currently set.
It then stretches into your approach to doing things.
You want to compete.
You want to win.
You want to dominate.
If you are in your twenties, thirties, forties, fifties… hell, maybe even your sixties and you are reading this… there is no reason not to be living 10x. These are the most productive years of your life, so why are you wasting them away?
But Aaron, what about the idea of doing my one most important task every day?
Time management hacks like most important task are great. But if you clear your most important task for the day, there is no reason you cannot do another task.
And of course when you stack virtues like 10x and productivity techniques like most important task together, everything works better, and you get a lot more done.
Practicing 10x
Putting the modern virtue of 10x into practice is all about treating what you normally think as an underestimation.
Take what you normally aim for, and aim higher.
One task cleared at work becomes three. Or five. Or ten.
One errand cleared in the afternoon becomes two. Or three. Or four.
If you demand more of yourself, you will find that your actions and performance will automatically adjust.
You don’t need to practice 10x every day. That can lead to burnout.1Like practicing self-discipline, practicing 10x should not lead to a blowout in the opposite direction.
More likely, you will find that when things go right on a certain day, everything happens in a 10x manner.
And that the more of your life that you have in order, the more 10x days you will have. Like this:
You can put your arrows into better alignment using the productivity stack.
What To Do Next
Start small.
Try to have one or two 10x days in the next few weeks.
And once you see how powerful they are, try to make them more regular – once a week, twice a week.
To find out how you can use virtues like 10x in your life, grab your 100% free copy of Evolution below.
- Like practicing self-discipline, practicing 10x should not lead to a blowout in the opposite direction.
Photo by Anton Repponen.