What if I told you there’s a simple framework to 10X your productivity and focus your time and effort on your most important work?
Interested?
Khe Hy, of RadReads.co champions a framework that can be an in-your-face perspective about where you’re putting your effort.
In his mind, most creatives would benefit from focusing on what he calls $10K work.
Here’s a quick overview of his 4-quadrant system:
Low-Skill, Low Leverage: Don’t get caught in the trap of doing $10 work—the kind you can do when you’re hungover… things like achieving “inbox zero,” spending too much time on social media, or formatting spreadsheets.
Low-Skill, High Leverage: Beware the lure of $100 work—aka Shiny Objects: Obsessing over productivity apps, funnels, and self-improvement books. Investing time in this area makes you feel like you’re making so much progress… but are these actually helping you make a dent with your business?
High-Skill, Low Leverage: $1000 work is a great place to be. This is the work where you get paid for your expertise. It’s the result of dedication and specialization. The only issue with this work is it lacks leverage. If you STOP doing the work, you stop earning.
High-Skill, High-Leverage: This is your unique ability amplified – it combines your specialized skills with high leverage impact. Examples could be recruiting and developing team members, creating digital assets, and building scalable systems. Focus your efforts on $10K Work:
- Look for the one-to-many opportunities.
- Be comfortable with delayed gratification.
- Plant seeds, even while knowing the payoff is uncertain.
Ask yourself: What truly moves the needle?
By looking at things through this unique lens, we can quickly see if we are prioritizing the right type of work.
Actionable Ideas from the Video
- Start small. Reflect on why certain activities energize or drain you. Design your business and life around more of what’s easy and energizing.
- Identify your unique abilities and find ways to amplify them through systems, team members, content. That’s your 10K work.
- Build a balanced portfolio across the 4 quadrants—but protect and prioritize the 10K work. Schedule time for deep thinking.
- Create processes to delegate or eliminate activities that don’t align with your core skills and vision. Prevent distraction from 10K work.
Our Takeaway
To truly leverage your expertise, ask yourself: What is actually moving the needle?
At first, master your 1K skills.
Then, become laser focused on identifying and protecting your 10K work—the leverageable intersection of your passions, skills, and vision.
Automate or delegate the $10 and $100 work.
This maximizes your impact and moves you closer to your true goals.
Your Turn
What does $10K work mean to you?
What are you actually trying to accomplish with your efforts?
