How to stand out and become an elite

Your relationship with science and technology may bring you unimaginable opportunities and growth, and may also make you a member of many mediocrities. As Karl Newport said in his new book, Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, "The ability to work deeply is becoming more and more rare, and at the same time, it is becoming more and more valuable in our economy. Therefore, a few people who master this skill and can turn it into the core of work and life will surely succeed. "

No one can succeed easily, so many people are depressed and slack. The following eight strategies can subvert your work style and inspire you to work and live with a higher level and clearer consciousness.

1, don't be afraid to use "ugly" tricks.

Until recently, some chess strategies were regarded as unquestionable beliefs by elites all over the world. These strategies often appear in books and are handed down from generation to generation among apprentices.

However, as computers continue to beat top players with programs, the effectiveness of these strategies has also been questioned. By analyzing the computer strategy, the chess players found that some "ugly" tricks used by the computer shocked them and made them interesting. These tricks do not conform to the traditional concept, and any trained chess player will not use such tricks.

Computers don't rely on skill and beauty to guide strategies, but think about every step on the chessboard through cold calculation. These unexpected discoveries on the computer make the players have to doubt the assumptions they have been insisting on.

For example, Magnus Carlson, the world champion of chess, explained in an interview with Business Insider: "You can no longer rely on the knowledge in books. The book tells us that it is good to go this way and not that way, but there will always be exceptions, and each situation is different. Even if some bad tricks seem wrong, you can find that this method is feasible through calculation ... then you should take this step! This forces us to look further and abandon the strategies we learned from books before. We must break the rules. "

No matter what field you are in, there will be some strict dogmas to guide your thinking-these dogmas are usually regarded as "best practices". But life (and chess) is chaotic and complicated, and each situation needs more specific analysis.

What is right for you may not be right for me.

For example, most people don't understand why I want to study for a doctorate. Many people will think this is an "ugly" trick. But for most people who have the same purpose as me, this is really an "ugly" trick. But according to my situation and personal calculation, this is a powerful strategic decision. When most people go left, they decide to go right.

We always meet with exceptions.

Therefore, we should not worry about how others will understand our decision, but try our best to make the most feasible decision-whether our decision is up to standard or against common sense. Calculation is reliable, just like playing chess on a computer, you can also "look back and connect the dots in your life." At some point, an ugly decision in the eyes of others may eventually bring you victory.

You should know that you are not far away.

In sports and other competitions, when the scores are not much different, athletes often perform best. This is why there are usually miracles at the end of the game, such as a 30-second touchdown run immediately after saving the short-haired table. But if the game is obviously beneficial to the opponent, it is difficult for both sides to show the highest level.

It is easy for the leader to relax and be overconfident. People who fall behind by a big score are easy to give up.

Sadly, you may think that those who are at the top of your field belong to "a completely different alliance" With this mentality, your enthusiasm at work will be less than when you feel that the "gap" is narrowing.

If you improve your thinking and put yourself on the same level as the "peak" group, you will soon find that those who used to be invincible in your eyes will make mistakes and you will be disappointed in them. They are just people. Most importantly, when you get into work, you usually have a sense of urgency that they don't have.

The game is actually very close.

3. Reduce the use of external forces and do more work.

We are all addicted to external forces. In order to maintain even mediocre performance, we have formed cognitive dependence, which has even become a culture.

For example, people think that caffeine can perform better, but in fact it is not. With caffeine, we can only go back to the status quo. Once we leave caffeine, we will perform poorly and be inefficient.

The current project on Kickstarter is another example. This carpet alarm clock needs you to get out of bed and stand on it to turn it off. Although this design is smart and interesting, I personally don't want to wake myself up with a carpet.

We can get rid of the dependence on continuous training, spiritual guarantee and external reinforcement. We can learn to be active, not passive objects.

We should not rely on the best software to start a business, or rely on the best guitar to play. As Jason Fred and DHH said in their book Rework, "The guitarist said," The tune comes from your fingertips. "You can buy the same guitars, effectors and loudspeakers that Eddie Fan Hailun used. But when you start playing, it's you.

Similarly, even if Eddie plays a second-rate Strat/Pignose guitar in the pawnshop, you can still recognize that Edward Lodewijk Van Halen is playing it. Good tools are useful, but the key lies in yourself, which is a fact. "

"Many amateur golfers want expensive clubs. But what matters is the swing, not the club itself. Give Tiger Woods a cheap club and he can still beat you. "

Reduce dependence on foreign objects. Try to take off all kinds of running equipment to run. Try to get up without an alarm clock. Try decaffeinated for a day. Try to start production without "stimulating" yourself.

Use less external force and do more work.

Step 4 Enhance the sense of responsibility

Uncle Ben told peter parker: "The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility." It's a pity that his words are reversed.

Responsibility can bring binding force and force you to think more creatively.

Responsibility makes you by going up one flight of stairs. I never thought that raising three adopted sons would improve work efficiency, but it's true.

My own failure affects not only myself.

Similarly, in dangerous situations, in the most important games, players at this time are the most difficult to deal with. If you have to work hard to support your family, you will get things done. If it's a matter of life and death, you will do whatever it takes. If your vision is attractive enough, you will avoid being distracted.

Taking proper responsibility can make life easier. It's like injecting yourself with stimulants-it gives you a constant sense of urgency and despair.

When you desperately want to stay healthy, you will choose a reasonable diet and start exercising. No excuses. When you are eager for success, honing your skills will be more attractive than browsing Facebook aimlessly.

5. The secret of every billionaire: build a team with yourself as the core as soon as possible.

Alex Chaffin, CEO of Charfen Consulting Services and founder of EPT, believes that billionaires have one thing in common, that is, they are all comfortable.

By comfortable, he doesn't mean wearing comfortable slippers, but that they will only do what they are good at and won't interfere with other things. To this end, they will set up a self-centered team to deal with other things.

When most people hear this statement, their first thought is: "Of course, because they are billionaires." But in fact, this is the secret of their becoming billionaires.

When Chafen was in his twenties, he was a guest at a friend's house (billionaire). He saw a scene that surprised him-there were two people in the room and a service team of 30 people, including a driver. Chafen could not help but ask a friend:

"Don't you feel embarrassed that there are so many people dangling in front of you every day to help you deal with all kinds of trivial matters? I mean, it's only 1 1 am now, but I see at least 10 people are helping us. "

His friend replied, "every member of my team has his own responsibilities, and it would be irresponsible if I did their work." They serve me, and I serve them. We grow together and build everything together. If I do someone's work today, they will feel uncomfortable and even a little worried. Everyone comes for a reason', and many people are responsible for training and recruitment. They know that the more they help me, the safer we will be and the stronger our foundation will be. "

Efficient executives will build a self-centered team as soon as possible so as not to make themselves uncomfortable. They are willing to think big plans, take on greater responsibilities and focus on their superpowers. The sooner you can get rid of personal pressure and noise, the faster your wealth will grow.

Therefore, enhancing the sense of responsibility does not mean doing more. But to play a greater leadership role.

6. How much are you willing to pay for your goal?

In many ways, Elon Musca is an eccentric. For example, his ideas about the future always make people nervous. He wants to change the world and even immigrate to Mars.

In order to realize his vision for the distant future, today, he is willing to make any sacrifice-no matter how many difficulties he will encounter.

Musca invested all his wealth in the company. Most of his decisions are incomprehensible to others. If listing means that the plan to immigrate to Mars will come to a standstill or change direction, he would rather postpone the listing of the company.

But he's been calculating. He is willing to do something "stupid" in the eyes of others, because he will not shrink back in the face of his long-term vision. Everything Musca does is accompanied by great risks.

His tendency to take risks is not innate, but comes from those unpleasant firm beliefs. When asked, "How much are you willing to pay for your goal?" , he replied:

"Others regard everything as a treasure. I want to die on Mars. Of course, I didn't fall to death when I entered the Martian atmosphere. Ideally, I hope to go to Mars once, return to Earth, and then go to Mars in my 70s and stay there. If all goes well, it should be. If my wife and I have a group of children, she may stay on earth with them. "

7. Short-term and low-cost testing

Tim Phyllis usually doesn't do anything to make him happy. If he wants to do it, he will do something exciting for him!

Although Phyllis's vision has never changed, he has never made any long-term plans for himself. Instead, I will "experiment" for three to six months and put all my energy into it. He doesn't know which door these experiments can open, so why make a long-term plan? He would rather seize a very good opportunity in the experiment and go in an unknown direction.

I recently tried Phyllis's short-term experimental idea. This has changed the way I work. For example, a few months ago, I came across an article about personal development, and the number of social media reposts exceeded 1 million. I decided to carry out an experiment and try to create an article that can also reach 1, 000,000. So this article was born.

Although this article has not been forwarded a million times, the result is still beyond my expectation and has far-reaching significance. An editor of Time magazine asked me if they could publish this article. In addition, this article has attracted thousands of new readers (including many of my favorite writers and researchers) and subscribers to my blog. Finally, it brought me many new training clients.

This is only a short-term experiment, which only took a week. Experiment is an interesting way to achieve your goal, because it can make you more creative and bold. Because it is only a short-term test, the risk is relatively low, so we might as well "make it bigger".

Why not take a chance? The worst result is just wasting a few months, but you will also gain something in the process, won't you?

8. Stay focused for as long as possible.

We are all addicted to typing a certain word to inquire about past experiences. As long as we have free time, we will rush to grab electronic equipment. More than half of Americans can't last 24 hours without a smartphone. Studies show that most men and most women would rather endure painful electric shocks than sit alone and think.

But the longer you focus, the more you can get in return and the greater the impact on the current economy.

"I found that the only way to overcome this situation is to accept this discomfort. Like most creative people, mixed with a little fear and discomfort, I can maximize my potential. Thinking in a lonely environment is really frightening, but it is necessary. "