The four rounds
- Could you get 500 euro into your account by the end of this week?Write down yes or no, and move on.
- Could you get 5,000 euro into your account by the end of next week?The amount is ten times bigger, and you get an extra week.
- Could you get 50,000 euro into your account by the end of next week?The amount goes up ten times again. The deadline stays where it was.
- If somebody gave you a million euro for getting 50,000 into your account by the end of next week, what would you say?Answer this one as fast as the others.
What changed between round three and round four
Round four asks for the same amount by the same deadline as round three. Only the reward changed.
If your answer moved, you were judging the stake in round three and not the difficulty.
Write down what you started considering the moment your answer changed.
How to set bigger goals with it
Bring this to your next ninety day goal and ask whether the stake is right. A goal with something you’d be sorry to miss gets more of your attention than a safe one.
Where the idea comes from
The four rounds are our own. Books like 10x Is Easier Than 2x, by Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy, make the case for targets ten times bigger. Take a goal you’ve given up on, change the stake and see if your answer moves.
Questions people ask
What is the escalation exercise?
A quick test of how big you set your goals. The amounts climb each round, and the last one offers a reward for hitting the third target.
Can I do it on screen?
Our workspace asks the four rounds one at a time and shows your answers back together at the end.
Does this mean I should set enormous goals?
It means checking the stake on whatever size of goal you set. A modest goal with a real reward attached is a good goal.