I have talked about leverage before in recent posts but today I want to dive a little bit deeper into leverage and the things people can do to obtain it to start getting ahead.
Today, I am going to share with you five things that I have personally done and discovered that have helped me grow and continue to grow.
Think of leverage as output - things you can do to reach a maximum level of output.
In the gym, leverage can be considered doing exercises like heavy squats or heavy deadlifts because they are compound exercises that when executed correctly, will help you obtain a maximum amount of muscle.
The key to leverage is finding new things that will help increase your output and bring more value.
I believe anyone is capable of learning how to gain leverage if they are willing to work.
The biggest problem people have is they lack quality work ethic and by quality, I mean getting the most amount you possibly can in a set period of time.
Once you can develop a mindset and develop systems that will allow you to reach new heights in terms of work done in a certain amount of time, you are now learning how to utilize leverage.
In the beginning, it may cost you some late nights and early mornings, but it's okay because by building up your skill set - you will be able to do more in less time if you're willing to sacrifice a little bit of your time and put it into making yourself better.
I have discovered one thing about leverage and maximizing output is that it is something that you realize over time just how much more work you can get done as you continue to develop this skill.
In the beginning, I used to think that I worked hard and I always have worked hard, but now I realize that working a 15 hour day is nothing.
Once you begin to understand leverage, you realize that while you might be getting a lot done now, you will be able to accomplish a lot more in a shorter amount of time as you continue to develop this skill.
I am still developing this skill every single day and I have realized that what I am able to get done in one single day now is at least five times more than what I was able to get done two years ago or even a year ago.
So let's jump into it - here are five things I have discovered to help build leverage and build up your level of output.
1. Getting into good physical shape
I have talked about the importance of getting in good shape many times, but one thing I want people to realize is the importance of why being in good shape should be a staple in everyone's daily lives.
When you put effort towards being in good shape, you are learning to work for yourself and maximize output to get results.
The longer you are on your journey to being in good shape, the more you will learn how to exercise and diet within accordance of your goals.
You will physically feel better when you are in good shape and you will understand the meaning of consistency, accomplishment, and delayed gratification.
One massive advantage of taking care of yourself physically is the added mental benefits that come along with it.
When you physically feel good, not only will you be building up your own self-confidence, but you will be able to think more clearly about things.
You will be able to understand the true meaning behind setting a goal, making a plan, and putting in work to execute your plan and achieve your goal.
This is one of the EASIEST ways for anyone to be able to learn how to leverage themselves is by going to a gym and getting in good shape.
2. Read more books
Reading is a skill within a skill in the sense that the more you read, the better you will get at reading, obtaining information, and even writing.
I can tell you from first-hand experience the reason why I write today and continue to write everyday is because of the amount that I read and have read over the last five years.
I find reading more as a good skill to acquire because once you can get past the mindset of "I can't sit here and focus on reading a book", you eventually learn to sit there and read whenever you tell yourself you are going to read.
This also opens up your capacity to read about different topics and learn about new things, even if it isn't necessarily about something you are interested in.
You don't even need to sit down and physically read with the way that technology is today, you can simply buy a book on audible and listen to it in your free time.
I personally like reading physical books because I can annotate and make notes within the book while I am reading it.
The more you read, the more sharp and more clear you will be with your thoughts because you are connecting your thoughts directly to someone else's when you are submerging yourself into knowledge that you did not have before.
One thing about reading though is that if you want the information to stick, you must be able to apply what you are learning to something in real life, otherwise you are just memorizing words on a page or wont even remember the words at all.
3. Learn how to sell
There is an art form to selling and there are some people out there who have mastered the art of sales.
I personally have worked many sales jobs in the past and I can tell you from first-hand experience, it is an essential skill to have to gain leverage because it establishes a foundation of basic communication skills.
When you learn how to direct and control a conversation, you then hold the power of becoming the most interesting person in the room and people will want to listen to what you have to say.
By learning how to captivate peoples attention and utilize it in such a way that they can't help but see the value you have to offer, it is an essential skill for anyone to learn and gain leverage.
Learning how to sell is essential for everyone in anything, whether it is trying to get a new job, asking out the girl you have always wanted to go on a date with, or starting a company.
Sales is the only way you are going to be able to sell people on your dream and your mission in life, you must learn how to communicate it to others in such a way that they can't help but support your mission.
4. Structure your day
The idea behind structuring your day is that you know everything you have to do for the day and when you have to do it, in set order, at a set time.
There are many key benefits to structuring your day - the big one being is that the more you can figure out what you are doing and when you are doing it, you can figure out where your free time is and replace it with something productive.
Many times you will hear people say "I don't have time...", "I don't have time to read", "I don't have time to go to the gym" etc.
My answer to this is - okay, you don't have time to read, are you spending time driving in your car on your way to work everyday? - "yes", how much time are you spending behind the wheel of your car? - "30 minutes to and from work", okay, that is an hour behind the wheel every single day, put on an audio book for that hour and learn about something you didn't know about before. You do that and you will finish one book per week, which will be 52 books per year and that is 52 books on things you had no knowledge of prior.
Structuring your day will help you stay organized and maximize your output drastically.
When you live by this mental model of structure, you will begin to compartmentalize and maximize your output over an expanded time horizon.
5. Work faster
Working faster is a key component to maximizing output because you free up more time to get more shit done.
The sooner you get your key tasks done for the day, the more time you will have to fill up with learning new skills.
I know some might be thinking "but if I work too fast, I wont do a good job", and what I have found is that if you know your job, you know exactly what tasks you have to perform and you do them in a timely manner, you can go back and double check your work and STILL have more time to add other productive activities to your daily schedule.
If you start working faster, you will naturally begin to start working smarter and working smarter is leverage.
Maybe there is a faster more efficient way to do the thing that used to take an hour in 30 minutes that you haven't thought about yet.
There are some things that are no short-cuts to maximize efficiency, but if you do work faster, you will get it done quicker and move on to something productive such as learning a new skill.