Automate the Work, Master the 10X Input
Automate routine work and concentrate your effort on the input that drives results.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 96%
Start by decomposing a role into its recurring responsibilities, then identify the inputs required to produce each output. Separate routine, repeatable inputs from the small number that exert disproportionate influence over results. Automate or delegate the routine work with AI-assisted workflows, accepting that these capabilities will eventually become table stakes. Use the recovered capacity to improve the highest-leverage inputs through deeper learning, better decisions, and more focused execution. The goal is not automation for its own sake or simply completing the same workload faster. The mechanism creates career leverage by increasing both efficiency and effectiveness: less time goes to administrative repetition, while more time goes to the judgment, strategy, creativity, or relationships that materially change outcomes.
Origin
Kieran Flanagan described using a software-engineering habit of decomposing work into inputs, then searching for the input whose improvement would matter more than all the others. Extracted from Marketing Against The Grain.
Core principles
- 01Break every role into observable inputs and outputs.
- 02Automate repeatable work before optimizing it manually.
- 03Treat widely automated capabilities as table stakes.
- 04Invest saved time in the few inputs that disproportionately affect results.
- 05Measure effectiveness, not merely time saved.
How to run it
- 1
Inventory the Role
List the core activities you perform daily, weekly, and monthly. Define the observable output produced by each activity.
Pro tip Use calendar entries, task records, and recent deliverables rather than relying on memory alone.
Watch out Do not describe the role only through broad job-title language.
- 2
Map the Inputs
For every output, identify the information, decisions, actions, and handoffs needed to create it. Mark which inputs follow stable patterns.
Pro tip Write each activity as an input-process-output chain.
Watch out A task that looks repetitive may still contain judgment-heavy exceptions.
- 3
Find the 10X Input
Identify the one or two inputs whose improvement would produce the largest gain in quality, revenue, speed, or customer value. Treat the rest as supporting inputs or table stakes.
Pro tip Ask which improvement would make weaknesses in the other inputs matter significantly less.
Watch out Do not confuse the task consuming the most time with the task creating the most value.
- 4
Automate the Routine Layer
Build AI-assisted workflows for repeatable research, documentation, production, and follow-up. Begin with supervised workflows before allowing autonomous execution.
Pro tip Start with one frequent, low-risk workflow that has a clearly verifiable output.
Watch out Automating a poorly understood process can multiply errors.
- 5
Reinvest the Capacity
Deliberately allocate the saved time to the 10X input. Track whether this changes business outcomes rather than merely increasing activity.
Pro tip Reserve recurring calendar blocks for the high-leverage work before routine tasks reclaim the time.
Watch out Recovered time disappears if it is not explicitly reassigned.
In the wild
A marketing manager uses AI to capture meeting notes, summarize decisions, and draft a list of assigned actions. Instead of spending the next hour reconstructing the discussion and sending reminders, the manager reviews the output and uses the recovered time to resolve the campaign decision blocking the entire team.
→ Administrative effort falls while the manager spends more time on a decision that directly affects execution.
A strategist maps the content workflow and automates transcript cleanup, initial research organization, and distribution formatting. The strategist retains responsibility for audience insight, positioning, and the central argument, which the team identifies as the inputs most strongly associated with successful content.
→ Production accelerates without outsourcing the judgment that differentiates the work.
Common mistakes
Automating Before Mapping
Selecting tools before understanding the role often automates isolated tasks without improving the overall workflow or result.
Treating Every Input Equally
Spreading effort evenly across all inputs prevents disproportionate investment in the few factors that actually determine performance.
Keeping the Saved Time Unassigned
Automation creates little career leverage when the recovered capacity is absorbed by more low-value activity.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for knowledge workers whose roles contain repeatable research, coordination, production, or follow-up tasks.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for highly unpredictable roles where most value comes from live human judgment or sensitive interpersonal interaction.
From the transcript
“I always break things down into inputs and then I look for the things that are like the 10X input.”
“What parts of my role can I start to automate away with AI?”
“what AI really does is it allows you to put as much time as possible on the inputs that matter.”
From the episode
Use A.I. To Accelerate Your Career While Others Panic (Complete Guide) (#112)