Leverage – The Secret To Getting Things Done


When was the last time you tried to undo a bolt without a spanner or wrench? Unless you’re He-Man, 😆 I’m guessing the answer is probably never! Why would you when you have a tool that makes the job so much easier right?

As a coach, one of the biggest things I’ve observed which gets in the way for so many people is just simply getting things done. People want to achieve something but they just don’t do what they need to.

We are all wired differently and we all have a different why that drives us. Those that are really good seeing things through, have a number of techniques that they use. Some techniques are better than others. Some of those individuals don’t need techniques, they are equipped with a natural propensity to ‘just do it.’ (I promise I am in no way endorsing Nike products). 😀

If you struggle to get things done, you’re probably missing a key ingredient, and that is LEVERAGE. (And in no way am I endorsing the T.V. show; although it isn’t bad!) 😛

Most people don’t fully understand what leverage is and therefore cannot fully utilise it. Once you understand it, and use it, there will be very little you cannot accomplish.

Leverage is pulling the right lever, or pushing the right button, at the right time, to get momentum and to keep it going.

I believe that everyone’s ultimate leverage is reaching a point to which they feel completely inspired and therefore need no outside intervention to make things happen. Until that point is reached, there are certain switches that we all have that can influence our behaviour. We can apply them to others or ourselves.

What is leverage?

Here’s an example:

Lets say at school your teacher told you that you were destined to be a failure. It was being drilled into you daily. However, you wanted to prove them wrong. You wanted to spit in the face of those insults. You decided you would work your ass off to prove them wrong!

The force driving you was to prove your teacher wrong. Every time you brought forward the memory of them putting you down, you felt the burning desire to show them otherwise.

We all have various buttons that set us off and give us leverage.

Do you remember the scene from back to the future, where Needles says to Marty, ‘what’s the matter, are you chicken?’ It sets him off. Needles had power over Marty and knew exactly which lever to pull to get him to take part in that shady scheme. (This is heavy Doc!)

How do you find it?

Think back over your life, has someone been your Needles and said something to you which has set you off?

I have a bit of an ego, (yes, just a bit :-P) and when it gets bruised, it forces me to act. I like to be the best at things, so when I meet someone who is better than me at something, I do one of two things; I either work hard to become better than them, or I just avoid playing them! 🙂

Very often we don’t find the right leverage we need at the right moment, but if you did, you would be unstoppable.

I also get very fired up when I remember what I believe to be my purpose here on earth. Any time I forget, my mind and actions become occupied with menial thoughts and tasks. Whenever I recall the fact that I believe I’m destined to be a spiritual warrior who’s destiny it is to do service, suddenly I feel like anything is possible.

Now think back of your life, what has set you off? What has given you a burning desire to go for broke?

Case stuy

I was coaching someone a while back and he hated his profession. He loathed the kind of work he had to do daily. His goal was to start a business and be an entrepreneur.

I asked him why he was still working if his dream was to have his own business? He said that he just never seemed to get the things done. While he was at work, he felt fired up, he felt the passion to get the business of the ground but, as soon as he got home, guess what? He’d land on his ass on the couch, plant himself in front of the TV and put things off.

I said to him “while you’re at work, you get passionate about starting your business because the hate for your job is your leverage, but as soon as you get home, you forget a huge reason that drives you. I want you to take your work home with you.”

He asked me what that would achieve. I said “not literally, but I want you to train yourself, to feel that same fire at home. When you get home, the first thing I want you to do is remind yourself of is the pain of being at work. When you remember the reason, it will stimulate the same response and get you on the path of starting your own business.

He began that process and eventually got his business off the ground.

Your leverage

I mentioned before, we all have different things that drive us. It’s a wonderful problem solving skill, and a great exercise generally, to find the quirky things that drive us.

Whatever your desire, find the leverage. Find the reason that makes you feel unstoppable.

Whether your aim is to lose weight, start a business, write a book or change the world, what is the the reason that gives you the most fire?

Think of any occasion where you’ve felt a sense of urgency or fire in your belly that has caused you to desire massive change.

What then?

  1. Put reminders up. Have it as the wallpaper on your phone.
  2. Set calendar reminders that pop up and random intervals.
  3. Put post it notes on the mirror you look into each day to get ready.
  4. Get your friends to remind you.
  5. Write it out 5 times each day in your diary.

Find any method you can to keep reminding yourself of the primary reason that drives you

Find your leverage!

3 Responses

  1. Elle says:

    Hi Amit,

    This is a great post. I think that people may be finding it even more difficult to get things done nowadays due to the TV or the internet. It’s a big distraction!

    I find that a little healthy competition has always been my leverage in the past. This is especially true while I was in school and everyone was very competitive over their grades.

    This gave me the motivation to study more! It was also the same in sports, I didn’t like losing, and so I’d train harder.

    When I was starting to get into a healthier lifestyle, I would read up on blogs about fitness and eating healthy foods. It gave me a lot of motivation to get up and start moving. It also gave me a lot more knowledge on the subject, and knowledge is power!

    I liked your tip on setting reminders on your phone. I sometimes ask friends to remind me things, but sometimes they forget. Using my phone seems like a better idea. Thanks!

    • Amit Sodha says:

      Hi Elle, lovely to hear from you!

      You and I are kindred spirits n that healthy competition drives us. Whenever I meet someone who is better than me at badminton, it really drives me to become better, I always strive to beat them and then reach a new standard of play.

      Some people might argue it’s unhealthy to be competitive, I whole heartedly disagree. A little healthy competition is always a good thing; it’s why god gave us the gift of ego! 🙂

  1. January 23, 2015

    […] things got particularly bad, I would be able to remember them at the right time, when needed and leverage their power to pick myself […]

Share your thoughts with the world :-)