Smartcuts

1. Lateral thinking and unconventional paths lead to rapid success

"You can accelerate your training if you know how to train properly, but you still don't need to be that special."

Unconventional paths yield faster results. The most successful people often take non-traditional routes to achieve their goals. This is exemplified by US presidents, who typically spend less time in elected office than senators before reaching the highest office.

Hacking the ladder involves:

• Constantly seeking opportunities to move sideways or diagonally
• Focusing on developing leadership skills rather than just accumulating experience
• Leveraging unique experiences and perspectives to stand out

By rejecting conventional wisdom about "paying dues" and instead focusing on acquiring diverse experiences and skills, individuals can accelerate their progress and achieve breakthrough success in less time.

2. Mentorship accelerates growth, but relationships matter most

"The best mentors help students to realize that the things that really matter are not the big and obvious."

Effective mentorship goes beyond formal arrangements. While having a mentor can significantly boost success rates, the most impactful mentoring relationships are often informal and built on genuine connections.

Key aspects of powerful mentorship:

• Organic relationships that develop naturally
• Vulnerability and openness from both mentor and mentee
• Focus on overall personal growth, not just specific skills
• Long-distance mentorship through studying and emulating successful people

The most successful individuals often have multiple mentors throughout their careers, leveraging different perspectives and expertise. They also tend to pay it forward by mentoring others, creating a virtuous cycle of growth and success.

3. Rapid feedback transforms failure into valuable learning

"By embracing all these tiny failures, there is no actual failure."

Failure is only valuable when quickly transformed into feedback. The most successful individuals and organizations create systems for rapid feedback, allowing them to learn and iterate quickly.

Strategies for leveraging rapid feedback:

• Break big challenges into smaller, more manageable tasks
• Create safe environments for experimentation and risk-taking
• Depersonalize feedback to focus on improvement rather than blame
• Continuously test and refine ideas in real-world conditions

Examples like The Second City's comedy training program and Upworthy's headline testing process demonstrate how embracing rapid feedback cycles can lead to exponential improvements and breakthrough success.

4. Platforms amplify effort and accelerate progress

"You can build on top of a lot of things that exist in this world. Somebody goes in and does that hard, ground level science based work. And then on top of that, you build the art."

Leveraging existing platforms multiplies impact. Rather than starting from scratch, the most successful innovators build upon existing tools, technologies, and systems to create breakthrough results.

Examples of powerful platforms:

• Programming languages and frameworks that simplify software development
• Educational systems that provide a strong foundation for further learning
• Social media networks that allow rapid dissemination of ideas
• Standardized components that enable faster product development

By identifying and leveraging the right platforms, individuals and organizations can achieve dramatically more with less effort, focusing their energy on creating unique value rather than reinventing the wheel.

5. Catching waves: Timing and pattern recognition in success

"It's often easier to make something 10 times better than it is to make it 10 percent better."

Success often comes from recognizing and riding emerging trends. The ability to spot patterns and position oneself to take advantage of upcoming "waves" is a crucial skill for rapid success.

Strategies for catching waves:

• Constantly experiment with new ideas and technologies
• Study historical patterns in your industry and adjacent fields
• Develop a keen understanding of your target audience's evolving needs
• Be willing to pivot quickly when you spot a promising opportunity

Examples like Skrillex in the music industry and Google's "20% time" policy demonstrate how individuals and organizations can leverage emerging trends to achieve outsized success.

6. Superconnectors: Leveraging networks through genuine relationships

"The idea was to mimic what was already happening on a mainstream level with pop music and boy bands as far as marketing goes, and take it to the underground, which was slowly gathering and amassing on the Internet."

Building genuine relationships is key to leveraging networks. Rather than focusing on transactional networking, the most successful individuals create authentic connections and provide value to their networks.

Strategies for becoming a superconnector:

• Focus on giving and creating value for others
• Develop expertise that makes you a valuable connection
• Cultivate relationships across diverse fields and industries
• Use technology and platforms to amplify your reach

By building strong, authentic relationships and consistently providing value, individuals can tap into powerful networks that accelerate their success and create opportunities for breakthrough achievements.

7. Momentum: The key to sustaining and accelerating success

"Success is like a lightning bolt. It'll strike you when you least expect it, and you just have to keep the momentum going."

Maintaining momentum is crucial for long-term success. Initial success often creates opportunities for further growth, but capitalizing on this momentum requires deliberate effort and strategy.

Keys to harnessing momentum:

• Build a backlog of quality content or products before a big break
• Continuously improve and iterate on successful ideas
• Leverage initial success to open doors to new opportunities
• Stay focused on long-term goals rather than short-term gains

Examples like Michelle Phan's YouTube success and SpaceX's rocket development demonstrate how maintaining momentum can turn initial breakthroughs into sustained, exponential growth.

8. Simplicity: The ultimate sophistication in innovation

"It's clear from the most recent studies that [judicious] use of the calculator, use of the right type of calculator, and integration of the calculator into mathematics instruction are keys to maximizing the positive impact."

Simplification often leads to breakthrough innovations. By stripping away unnecessary complexity and focusing on core principles, innovators can create solutions that are both more effective and more accessible.

Strategies for achieving simplicity:

• Focus on solving the most essential problem
• Eliminate unnecessary features and distractions
• Make products and services intuitive and easy to use
• Use constraints as a catalyst for creative solutions

Examples like the Embrace infant warmer and Apple's product design philosophy show how simplification can lead to innovations that are both more impactful and more widely adopted.

9. 10x Thinking: Aiming for radical breakthroughs

"The first step is to establish that something is possible; then probability will occur."

Aiming for 10x improvements often yields better results than incremental goals. By setting audacious goals and rethinking fundamental assumptions, innovators can achieve breakthroughs that seemed impossible.

Principles of 10x thinking:

• Question basic assumptions about what's possible
• Focus on solving big, meaningful problems
• Embrace constraints as catalysts for creativity
• Build a narrative that inspires others to join your mission

Examples like SpaceX's reusable rockets and Google X's moonshot projects demonstrate how 10x thinking can lead to transformative innovations that reshape entire industries and push the boundaries of what's possible.

Last updated: January 23, 2025