Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Get started
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
Smartcuts summary
How Hackers, Innovators, and Icons Accelerate Success
18 mins
Brief summary
Smartcuts by Shane Snow is a guide to outsmarting the system and achieving success quickly. It argues that by taking unconventional paths, working smarter rather than harder, and using lateral thinking, anyone can achieve their goals in record time.
Table of Contents
Smartcuts
Summary of 9 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 9
Don't climb the career ladder from the bottom up – hack into it instead.
A lot of people assume that climbing the career ladder step by step is the best route to success. That's rarely the case, however, because success isn't just about working hard – it's about working smart.
That's where lateral thinking comes in. Lateral thinking is about making unseen connections between ideas and searching for smart solutions outside the box. It allows you to uncover possibilities you might not otherwise notice.
Lateral thinking helps you find smartcuts, the most efficient and sustainable means to success. Don't be turned off by the term's similarity to “shortcut," which has a negative connotation and implies that quality might be skimped. Smartcuts get you to where you want to be in the smartest way possible. Remember: there's nothing wrong with taking the quickest path to success. In fact, that's the best way to use your time and resources.
A lot of successful people have made good use of smartcuts, even several US presidents.
About one-third of US presidents didn't follow the traditional route of serving in Congress for a considerable period before running for the presidency, instead spending only about seven years in an elected office. They gained relevant experience in other fields, then managed to “hack” into the presidential ladder at just the right time.
Consider that Woodrow Wilson was the head of a university and Dwight Eisenhower, who went on to defeat Hitler, had never held an elected office before he became president. These men didn't climb their way straight up the political hierarchy – they moved across it diagonally. This is what you too need to aim for as an entrepreneur.
Want to see all full key ideas from Smartcuts?
Key ideas in Smartcuts
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is Smartcuts about?
Smartcuts (2014) is about the secrets used by innovative companies and bright minds to achieve big successes in the shortest possible time. It outlines the reasons why unconventional methods are much more powerful than traditional ones in today's business world, and what you can do to take advantage of them.
Smartcuts Review
Smartcuts (2014) by Shane Snow is a book that explores unconventional ways to achieve success. Here's why this book is definitely worth reading:
- With insightful anecdotes and case studies, it offers practical strategies that allow us to attain our goals faster and more effectively.
- The book provides a fresh perspective on innovation and creativity, challenging traditional notions of success and offering new pathways to achieve it.
- Through its examination of the shortcuts taken by successful individuals, the book challenges our assumptions about hard work and reveals the power of strategic thinking.
Best quote from Smartcuts
Traditional paths are not just slow; theyre no longer viable if we want to compete and innovate.
—Shane Snow
Who should read Smartcuts?
- Entrepreneurs
- Anyone interested in productivity or innovation
Categories with Smartcuts
Book summaries like Smartcuts
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.8 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
35 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
Smartcuts FAQs
What is the main message of Smartcuts?
Smartcuts explores how to achieve success faster through unconventional shortcuts.
How long does it take to read Smartcuts?
Reading Smartcuts takes several hours, while the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is Smartcuts a good book? Is it worth reading?
Smartcuts is worth reading for its practical strategies to accelerate success.
Who is the author of Smartcuts?
The author of Smartcuts is Shane Snow.
What to read after Smartcuts?
If you're wondering what to read next after Smartcuts, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Julie Smith
- Negotiation Made Simple by John Lowry
- 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
- The Bhagavad Gita by Vyasa
- Working with Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
- Stop Self-Sabotage by Dr. Judy Ho
- The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson
- The Rise of Superman by Steven Kotler
- The Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle