Dan Sullivan (1)

This was an odd one to read. I love the premise - a deeper exploration of implementing the Pareto principle. But I found the writing frustrating. In places, it seemed that different versions of the same sentence were written multiple times on the same page. Like a conversation with a reformed smoker; who can’t help but repeat themselves with a desire to convert.
Ultimately, I found this very powerful.

This short book provided some helpful ideas on how to measure goals and reduce negativity. In essence, the authors recommend measuring progress backwards (i.e. compare today to where you were 1 year ago - look at the GAIN you have achieved). It is a great idea! In addition, the book also proposes the practice of recording daily wins. This is a positive habit that I see much value in.

In reading this book in audio book format, it was fun to listen to the authors record an "after chapter" show more discussion. Adding podcast style discussions into the book reminded me of the Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins audio book which also used this style. These post-chapter discussions added some further insights to the audio book experience.

My primary critique of the book is the "all or nothing" examples provided by the authors in a few cases. For example, Sullivan mentions he previously enjoyed wine a bit too much. His solution? Completely eliminate wine. Completely removing wine is one way to go, yet I found it strange that moderation was seemingly not considered. Likewise, Hardy reflects on his past excessive enjoyment of video games like World of Warcraft. It appears that Hardy may have also completely given this up. These two examples bothered me. I think it would be fascinating to see the authors discuss their ideas with Gretchen Rubin who has a different perspective (e.g. some people are abstainers, some are moderators etc). show less

This is a very short book. Nothing wrong with that. His approach to moving fast and aiming for 80 per cent of your goal or project is essentially a psychological trick to get you to take action without making perfect plans and wasting time on perfect strategy. It is a very good and easy system indeed and I do think it will make a tremendous difference to people who are in the habit of procrastinating. Learning by doing is the fastest way to success IMO and this is a learning by doing show more strategy. Initially I was going to give it 4 stars as it is such a simple concept and the book is so short, but given the amount of self-help books that I read that are incredibly long winded and repetitive and are not imparting large volumes of wisdom to match their length, I decided that brevity and simplicity were a virtue worthy of 5 stars. show less

"Perfectionism is the result of a mental obsession with achieving the “ideal”—as a minimum requirement—in all situations and areas of life. Procrastination results from the refusal to take action until an “ideal” result is guaranteed in every situation. These two habits almost always accompany each other. You seldom have one without the other."
Perfectionism represents "shoulds" not how things actually are. If one lives like this, perpetual dissatisfaction is show more likely.
Procrastination an insistence on guarantees before taking action. It causes guilt, undermines confidence, self-restrict opportunities and increase needless struggles.

1-If the task no matter the preparation, procrastination or focus is seen as only 80% 'good' then just focus on the 80%.
If procrastination is based on judging oneself on how well one does, then action is necessary as it expands our abilities and hence confidence in it. Procrastination just results in wasted time, energy, and adds guilt about not taking action. Preparation (a potential form of procrastination) without engagement results in a person having little sense of urgency or excitement. Again, if 80% will be the outcome, taking action immediately is the best thing to do and then you can focus on improvement.

2-When doing something new it's inherently impossible to attain 'perfection' or gain "100%" because the goalpost changes based on the information you get by engaging with the activity. Not to mention; 80% is all that's required... 80% of the times. Hell, your 80% is accepted as others' 100%- to make sourdough you don't need a century old starter with herbs, springwater, and unicorn dust. Making the sourdough itself would be impressive to most folks. Nobody cares for your 100% because 80% of the times, all one requires is good enough to push forward and quick as possible. The obsession with 100% is a bottleneck preventing one from eventually achieving 100%. Striving for 100% alone makes sense (even then so, in batches of 80%) but most things in life are a matter of teamwork.

3-See what each person is good at.
Skills (we're assuming they're static at time of task) can be put into 4 categories: incompetent (failure frustration), competent (meet minimum standard with great effort), Excellent (superior skills, some passion, ease) and unique ability. Unique ability means you are great at it, enjoy it, are energized by it and your energy 'leaks' to others, and you keep getting better.
Doing 80% with your UA (unique ability) results in success satisfaction in all areas of life. It can also help you identify what UA looks like in others and increase ability. Find your 80% UA contribution and work accordingly.

4-Procrastion=lowered individual confidence but also no teamwork
These two are reinforced by one another if not eliminated. Improvement in your specific areas of life always depends on improvement of teamwork and supporting one another. Procrastination is folly- always get the first 80% done ASAP. It results in increased self, and team confidence. It gives oneself a sense of achievement, progress and improvement. This will attract people of the same thinking and enable others to follow your own example.

5-Striving for 80% produces better result.
It is often larger, more higher quality than 100%. Demanding 100% means you'll be anxious and think of failure- resulting in lowered relaxing, focus and sleep along with higher strain and fatigue. These are just personal consequences; for the team it means you'll be over demanding, neglecting everyone else who isn't involved. All 3 of these problems result in worsened quality and speed along with perhaps second order consequences on teamwork, creativity, productivity, success, and satisfaction.
80% result is more natural, more powerful than going for 100%. 80% is like using the wind to sail a boat compared to paddling for hours on end. It increases your energy, allows space for creativity, confidence and maximises the team's unique abilities rather than overstretching them. 80% makes people feel and work better whereas 100% makes people isolated in their own fears.

6-Delegating the second 80% is powerful.
Here's how Mr. Sullivan's process has changed in writing the Quarterly-report. It generally has 6 parts. First-concept: he would procrastinate before committing to one as he wanted to be right. Now he chooses one and goes with it. Second-Outline: He'd take up a week to outline with great detail. Now he completes a rough outline in one hour. Third-layout: Previously took 15-20 hours doing it page-by-page with sometimes 3-4 drafts and lasting 3 days whilst the production team waited. Now he sees his graphic team's UA and sketches the layout on a single sheet of paper and gives it, taking at most 2 hours. Fourth-text: He'd take many weeks with as many as 5 drafts. Now he does the first draft ASAP, and his editors make the necessary corrections refinements. An issue is now done in 12 hours, with it generating a better result and saving potentially half a month. And so on.
Point is, the way you contribute and allow others to contribute should have a team-based approach. As it makes it quicker and more effective.

7-Procrastination elimination=happier, more time, improves talent
Just eliminating all the procrastination from his side made the team process better. What can be done in ~4 days used to take 5-6 weeks. A positive urgency washes over the team with newfound sense of confidence and autonomy. Widely adopting the 80% approach means the energy and enthusiasm of every team member is raised. An ineffective team slows down the process but one without procrastination allows one to have more opportunities to improve and practice. Chronic negative emotions come (in the workplace) come from habitual perfectionism in daily life or procrastination in dealing with these situations. One's psychology and emotionality will improve if this approach is adopted.

8-More profit, more enjoyment
If perfectionism led to higher performance it may've been useful to pursue but does it? What could've been fun turns into intimidating. The idea that nothing you can do, say, or think will match the titans of old is antithetical to growth. The entire purpose of giving these ideas was to make you like them. By adopting this in your daily life you'll enjoy yourself and outperform all perfectionists you encounter.

Practical tips: Be clear and confident with any new project and why it's important to you. Focus on achieving three 80% tasks at a day (anything more is bonus). Do everything well enough but also quickly so that you can delegate the rest. No reason to have meetings unless someone has done an 80% initiative others can contribute towards. Ask 'why' if you're ever stuck and eliminate the crap which makes it feel like obligation rather than positive commitment. Find ways to get the ball rolling. Find like-minded people. show less