1: James Clear‘s book Atomic Habits has sold over 20 million copies worldwide.
“To put this in proper perspective,” Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy write in 10x Is Easier Than 2x, “out of the millions of books published each year, less than 20 will go on to sell over one million copies. The average U.S. book sells less than 200 copies per year and less than 1,000 copies over its lifetime.”
Okay, then.
“In his blogs and book, James helps his readers optimize for ‘the beginning’ of a particular objective,” Dan and Ben write, “such as losing weight, by making the task as basic and friction-free as possible.
“Rather than doing 500 push-ups, do 5.
“Rather than writing a chapter of your book, write one sentence.
“His writing and teachings are designed to help the common man make small changes that compound over time to big results.”
But James is no common man. And what he has achieved is far from common.
“In a world where most people’s advice is often superior to their actions, he’s one of the few people where you’re actually better-off following what he does than what he says,” the authors note.
“You won’t get 10x results by doing five push-ups,” they write. “You won’t write a blockbuster book by writing one sentence.”
To achieve 10x results, we must go “all-in.”
“Yes, 10x starts with five push-ups and writing one sentence,” Dan and Ben note, “but to reach the level of focus, quality, and mastery needed to 10x, we must go all-in. We can’t see ourselves as an amateur nor be satisfied with amateurish commitment and outcomes.”
As James himself writes in Atomic Habits: “You’re behaviors are usually a reflection of your identity. What you do is an indication of the type of person you think you are—either consciously or nonconsciously.”
When we explore what James did to produce a blockbuster book, it becomes clear he optimized for “the end” of a particular objective, more than the beginning. Once again, it’s going all in on the 80-20 Rule: 80 percent of our results come from 20 percent of our activities.
How did he do it? ” By clarifying and committing 100 percent to his end goal, eliminating the 80 percent, and refining the quality of his work—the 20 percent.”
2: Here are the specifics about what James did to achieve his incredible success.
“By focusing on his 20 percent, which for several years was blogging,” Dan and Ben write, James “was able to grow a massive email list and become a professional author—which was a major 10x jump for him.
“Then, after going 10x, he found a new 20 percent, which was spending nearly three years writing his book Atomic Habits.
“Once the book was written and nearing publication, he shifted his 20 percent fully to spreading and marketing the book.
“By flexibly shifting his 20 percent focus toward his evolving standards, like Chad and Jimmy, James has become a rare master of shedding his 2x-identity the moment it’s no longer serving him. He doesn’t get stuck or plateaued in any single stage or process longer than is needful.”
Dan and Ben believe the secret of James’s success is his commitment to “holding himself and his work to an unbelievably high standard wherein he polishes his work from 95 or more percent ‘done’ to as close to 100 percent as he can—until it becomes exceptional.”
James writes: “The difference between good and great is often an extra round of revision. The person who looks things over a second time will appear smarter or more talented, but actually is just polishing things a bit more. Take the time get it right. Revise it one extra time.”
His approach was to increase the quality of his work. Relentlessly.
“First, he continually honed the quality of his blog posts,” the authors observe. “Then, his book. Finally, he perfected the quality of his storytelling and marketing strategy for his book.”
We can track this commitment through the end-of-year review he wrote and posted each year.
Dan and Ben write: “In his 2014 Annual Review, after a few years of successfully blogging about habits and growing a sizable email list, James discusses his desire to write a book (his next 10x ambition): “What am I focused on? Going pro as a writer. I’ve been a full-time entrepreneur for four years now. I’ve started four different businesses (two of which succeeded) and a number of smaller projects. . .
“More than anything I’ve done, I love writing my articles each week and helping people build habits that stick. So, it’s time to phase out other projects and turn pro. Mostly, that means finishing my first book. And 2015 is that year to do it.”
“In his 2015 Annual Review, he stated that he got his book deal for what became Atomic Habits. At that point, writing the book became his number one focus (his new 20 percent). He still maintained his blog and other activities, but those were subtly becoming part of his 80 percent, which he was phasing out to focus on his next 10x jump. He also mentioned hiring his first full-time employee to manage much of his online business while he wrote the book.
“In his 2016 Annual Review, James describes the challenge he faced transitioning from world-class blogger to writing a world-class book: “What didn’t go so well this year? Book writing. Plain and simple, 2016 was the worst year of writing of my young career. I haven’t been at this very long, but I’ve been at it long enough to know that this year was a total disaster from a writing standpoint. . .
“It all started at the end of 2015 when I signed a major book deal with Penguin Random House. As soon as the book became a reality, my perfectionism kicked into high gear. . . Looking back now, I realize that I spent a large part of 2016 learning how to create a new style of work.
“For the three years prior, I was writing a new article every Monday and Thursday. The focus was on creating great work that was usually 1,500 words or less. Now, my writing ambitions have grown and I’m working to create a remarkable book of 50,000 words or more. This transition from rapid work to deep work has been hard for me—much harder that I expected. I’m just now learning what it takes to create something of that scope and do it well.”
“In his 2017 Annual Review, James describes lasering almost all of his energy and effort into writing Atomic Habits while his business ran almost entirely without him:
“What went well this year? Okay, here’s where I succeeded this year. Book writing. I wrote a book! (Well, mostly.) Naturally, completing the manuscript became my primary area of focus for 2017. I finished the first draft of the manuscript in November, and we’re working on edits now. There are still many improvements to make and, truthfully, a few months of work left, but it feels really good to see literally years of work all coming together…
“Systems building. Because I spent nearly all of my time writing the book, I had virtually no time to work on the other aspects of my business, which, you can imagine, also happen to be fairly important. Thankfully, my business still had a great year because, with the help of my assistant Lyndsey, we have built a variety of systems that enable the business to run without constant attention from me. . .
“In his 2018 Annual Review, Clear discusses the publication and initial success of his book: ‘What went well this year? Atomic Habits. I feel like I’ve told everyone within earshot at this point, but in case you haven’t heard: I published a book this year! . . . I was still working on the manuscript in January and February of this year. If you had tapped me on the shoulder in the middle of my frantic final edits and told me the book would become a bestseller before the year ended, I almost certainly would have cried with relief.
“As 2018 draws to a close, Atomic Habits has been out for 11 weeks (published on October 16, 2018). I did every single thing I could to make this book a success (starting with spending 3 years writing the best book possible), but the reception has outpaced even my high hopes.”
Once Atomic Habits was published, James focused on his next 20 percent: Publicizing the book.
In his 2019 Annual Review, he wrote: “What went well this year? Book sales. Atomic Habits launched in October 2018, which meant that 2019 was the first full calendar year it had been available. I came in with big aspirations, but I think it’s fair to say that book sales have outpaced my expectations. As of December 2019: Over 1.3 million copies sold worldwide; 12 consecutive months on the New York Times bestseller list . . . Speaking. I delivered 31 paid keynote speeches in 2019. This is far and away the most I’ve ever given in a calendar year. Obviously, this is tied directly to the success of Atomic Habits.”
3: So, what lessons can we take from James’s journey?
First, 10x is about quality, not quantity.
“James Clear understood this,” Dan and Ben write, “and now he has the most successful non-fiction book in the world.
“10x is committing to your ambitious vision and making that vision your standard. You do this by locking into the 20 percent that will get you there and letting go of the 80 percent that got you here.”
Second, 10x requires focus. We must eliminate distractions. Achieving 10x results requires more and better attention. Deep work.
“This is what James Clear spent three years doing,” Dan and Ben note. ” He was solving a highly complex problem teaching a model of habits that was compelling, useful, and accurate. He was striving to provide an innovative solution to habits—a universal human challenge he felt to be incredibly important—in a far superior manner than anything currently on the market. . .
“He succeeded. Innovation happens by focusing on the 20 percent that’s most relevant to the problem you’re trying to solve.”
More tomorrow!
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Reflection: What is my 20 percent that if I went all-in on, I’d become 10x more valuable and impactful? What are the few things I do and the few people I work with that produce most of my success and excitement? What is my 80 percent that keeps me grinding away, and ultimately a distraction for my biggest future jumps?
Action: Journal my answers to the questions and commit to taking action.
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