[dagmx]

I think it's about breaking down things into abstracts. Sort of a mental principle component analysis.

I'll preface this by saying I've been described as a 10x-er by others my whole career. I do not consider myself one but I've noticed that what people respond to is my ability to break down problem spaces into very small pieces and think about it in the abstract.

I also notice that this is what I see in folks that I consider are 10x-ers.

It's also not that I think others can't do that. That would be hubris. However I think it takes practice, and practice first requires self reflection.

I'm currently mentoring interns and juniors, and I am trying to teach them to approach problems with that kind of thinking. The ones who can shift into breaking things down like that, are able to chew through stuff much faster and cleaner.

coincidentally the system architects I've worked with who can think like this are always the strongest at creating scalable solutions and adapting to change.