Time Is a Tool Audiobook

Chapter 3: Use Extreme Deadlines

Sep 24, 2025
Explore how extreme deadlines can ignite focus and innovation as Benjamin Hardy shares eye-opening studies on performance improvement. Discover Amazon’s radical shift to one-day Prime delivery by collapsing a five-year plan into one year. Learn about setting ambitious goals that drive accountability and rapid scaling. Hear personal success stories demonstrating how short timelines can reshape health and priorities. Ultimately, understand how framing the future impacts present actions and enhances your quality of life.
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ADVICE

Set Unrealistic Short Deadlines

  • Use unrealistically short deadlines to force focus and reduce distraction.
  • Short, aggressive timelines often improve speed and quality by sharpening attention.
INSIGHT

Urgency Reveals Innovation

  • Artificially shorter deadlines boost delivery rates and performance by creating urgency.
  • Extreme deadlines stimulate innovation and force creative problem solving.
ANECDOTE

Amazon Collapsed Five Years Into One

  • Jeff Bezos set a one-year deadline for one-day Prime delivery and collapsed a five-year roadmap into 12 months.
  • Amazon rebuilt logistics, acquired centers, and launched AI systems to meet the extreme deadline.
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