From the August Bradley Newsletter, issue #35. Subscribe here.

Sources of Leverage in Life

Leverage is often discussed in a business context, but it applies to all aspects of our lives. I want to focus on personal leverage in more detail — how we as individuals can achieve more output with less input and effort.

I’ve seen many articles listing the various types of leverage. I just about always disagree with them. They usually miss important ones, misclassify others, and just feel ad-hoc and not logically consistent. The boundaries between one and another can confuse the distinction, so I am going to try to break them out here with greater clarity.

First up (1 & 2) are less commonly noted, but essential to include.

1. Health

• More energy.
• More clarity.

2. Knowledge

• Prioritization, knowing what the right thing to do is (PPV alignment).
• Working smart.
• Connecting the dots that nobody else sees.

The next group is more commonly mentioned, but they exist with more variations than typically considered:

3. People

• Hiring, outsourcing.
• Teaching others who then teach.
• Leadership, inspiration.
• Trust and relationships.

4. Media