May The Force Be With You...
The Guardian Academy I The Arena I knowledge.guardianacademy.io
Another Monday, another free newsletter
What’s inside this one?
A look at the power of understanding “force multipliers” and why we tend to miss them entirely.
From afar, people often wonder how others get so much done.
Up close, people often wonder why the same people aren’t doing more.
It seems contradictory.
It’s not.
The simplest way I can think to explain it is this: imagine you’re tasked with chopping down a giant tree. You have a choice:
Option 1: An average sized hatchet; about 13 inches long and a little under 2 pounds or…
Option 2: An average wood-cutting axe; about 34 inches and a little over 3 pounds.
If you choose option 1, you will do a lot more work.
If you choose option 2, you will make a lot more progress - you’ll get more done - in the same time period.
See the difference?
The axe gets more done than the hatchet. The hatchet gets more done than if you held the metal head in your hand and swung it at the tree.
The handle acts as a Force Multiplier.
Force Multiplier: A tool that amplifies effort to produce a greater output. The tool can be a technology, a skill, or a strategy.
A force multiplier results in either:
The same output with less effort
More output with the same effort or
Exponentially more output with a little extra effort.
Engineering a greater output with the same input is engineering asymmetry. Some force multipliers are obvious. You hit a nail with more force with a hammer than you do with the same effort and your bare hand.
Some are less obvious (and way less sexy). For example, every couple of years I set aside an hour each morning to take typing classes.
Why?
Because if I can become a little more efficient at typing, it will multiply the amount of work I can get done sitting at computer for the rest of my life.
Opportunities for this multiplicative-type growth are everywhere, they aren't exciting and they’re hard to identify day to day.
First, we have to appreciate compounding returns. Many force multipliers appear to be linear on a short timeline. On a longer timeline, they compound to create outsized results.
Imagine an investor learns a new principle. If applied, this principle will increase his average performance by 5%. 5% on each trade he makes compounds to many millions of extra dollars. The principle is a force multiplier if applied consistently.
Then, we have to appreciate fundamentals.
The greatest force multipliers are the fundamentals. Basic, universal principles give us a slight edge in everything we do. we get a little more output out of every minute if we apply the basics. When things aren't going your way or you want greater results, go back to the basics.
Forget the complicated stuff.
Want better results in the gym? Drink more water and get better sleep. Until you can do that consistently, all the complicated stuff has diminished returns.
A new routine and a few supplements might give you a tiny, momentary boost. Proper hydration and sleep will improve the quality of your exercise, focus, and recovery. It will even make those fancy new supplements more effective.
Force multiplier.
Lastly, we must understand sequencing and our sense of urgency
Humans aren't great at either.
Sense of Urgency: mistaking what feels urgent for being high leverage or a top priority. Urgency hijacks our monkey minds and prevents us from seeing or creating leverage.
We want to get in better shape now, so we don't have time to fix our sleep. It's a process and we want a shortcut.
We have a pile of work on our desks now, we don't have time to learn how to type a little faster. (I take a typing program every year. An hour a day to make every other hour of my life on the computer more effective)
We need to chop down as many trees as possible today, can't waste time sharpening the axe.
A sense of urgency will have us swinging a dull axe and finger-pecking our way through the day. Those that take the time to sharpen the axe will lose a step today on us, and blow right past us tomorrow.
Sequencing is important. The next thing to do is the next right thing, not the thing that feels the most urgent. Sometimes they are the same thing, oftentimes they are not.
If you want to master many skills in your life, the first thing to master is the skill of mastery. By doing so, you will be able to master many more skills, at a much deeper level, much more efficiently.
It’s a force multiplier.
If you want to make better decisions in the future, the next skill to develop is the skill of making better decisions.
I'm guessing there is something you want to do at a high level. Whether it's chopping down trees, writing novels, getting in shape, or having a great relationship, there is always something. Whatever that thing is, a force multiplier is hiding in plain sight. It will amplify your future efforts and compound into outsized returns.
It may be worth taking a step back today to slingshot forward tomorrow.
Be intentional about the order in which you do things. Prioritize the force multipliers. Develop habits that allow those returns to compound over time.
Simplicity..
It’s another force multiplier.
The Ultimate Force Multiplier
Here at the Guardian Academy we define intelligence as “the ability to get what you want”. Anything that improve your ability to get what you want makes you more intelligent.
Which is why we built this publication and the Arena the way we did.
The ultimate Force Multiplier is developing skill that improve your ability to get what you want. So how do you do that?
First, you have to be able to identify where you’re at now and what it is the you want; where you want to be.
Then, you have to identify the most immediate constraint, the next “kink in the hose” that needs to fixed.
And then you need to develop the skill to remove that constraint.
And the only way to remove a constraint, in the real world, is to…
Step Into The Arena and Engage The Field
This months Arena is Wednesday at 11:30am pacific.
Next months Arena schedule:
Second Monday of the month: MBD Arena with Laurel Portie
Second Thursday of the month: TGA Arena with Dr. Jeff Spencer
Last Wednesday of the month: THE ARENA
You can get on the waitlist to join the main Arena at engagethefield.com
If you’re not ready to step into the Arena you can still follow along and engage the field on your own or as a TGA+ member.
Here are some Force Multipliers to try
The Engaging The Field Handbook.
I believe this is the number one force multiplier. If you learn how to engage the field, it will amplify everything you do in the future.
Not sure what to do or what to focus on? Any of these exercises will act as a force multiplier.
Resources Engineer/Recapture & Reallocate.
Recapture and reallocate is a staple. We’ve changed the name to Resource Engineering, the Arena prompts and trainings will have a heavier focus on the resources that are not money (time, bandwidth, energy, etc).
Part 1: What To Focus On Next.
Not sure how to figure out what to focus on next? This short series might help. Part 2 and 3 can be found on the page linked.
![What To Focus On Next [ 1 of 3 ]](https://i.scdn.co/image/ab6765630000ba8a43c6e36df98a184b9921e15b)
Partner Highlight Of The Month:
What else is there to say about TGA Cornerman Dr. Jeff Spencer?
This is one of the most heartbreaking and simultaneously heart warming presentations I’ve ever seen. The story of his daughters adoption goes far beyond the adoption itself, it’s a masterclass in…
The key to becoming supernatural. How to stand above our natural tendencies of bitching, sniveling and whining.
Leaving space for a Miracle. Why more detailed plans fail to deliver on the promise and the important of holding space for the unknown.
Staying in the game. The strategy for staying in the game while waiting for investments in the future to pay off.
You can listen to or watch the whole whole thing here.
Hope to see you in the Arena soon. If not, that’s okay. You can engage the field on your own, with another community or right here in the comments below.
See you on the other side
live to learn. give to earn.
Nic & The Guardian Academy.
PS. If you found this helpful or interesting, please feel free to forward it on to someone who might benefit.
Force multipliers come in a varied and fascinating assortment. Skills and relationships forged in TGA, the Wolf Den, the Success Circle, and the Arena come immediately to mind.