Work Tool: 10 Years in 6 Months

Nothing like staring down the implausible...  

I've looked at the concept of efficiency in earlier posts, like trying to complete a task ten times faster.  That type of approach focused on the details of a single, concrete task.  Now I'll zoom out for the big picture, trying to complete 10 years of work in 6 months, basically 20X faster overall.

I came across the concept while skimming Tools of Titans, so I'd thought I'd give a stab at drafting what an actual game plan could look like.  The steps I came up with are 1) identify a goal, 2) describe the milestones of the goal, 3) list the challenges/sacrifices that need to be overcome, and 4) brainstorm innovations to complete the goal.  In a rather haphazard fashion, let's get to it!

Identify a Goal

1. Get two extra PhDs (Paleontology and Astrophysics)
2. Attain the rank of Associate Professor
3. Become a world-renowned expert in a scientific field
4. Pay off all student loans
5. Become a successful author (at least half of income supported by writing)

Describe the Milestones

1. Apply for programs; Get accepted into programs; Finance programs; Choose dissertation topics; Complete coursework; Pass exams; Complete dissertations; Defend dissertations
2. Teach several important courses; Publish 15-20 impactful research articles; Create a track record of grant funding; Perform useful services to the university; Mentor several graduate students successfully 
3. Publish 20+ high impact journal articles; Present as major speaker at relevant conferences; Collaborate on research with similar experts; Publish one or more review articles in the field
4. Pay ~$20,000 in loans over the course of six months (>$3,333 a month)
5. Write several books; Market the books; Sell the books; Average 40,000 in sales per year (20,000 per six months)

List the Challenges/Sacrifices

1. Only so many classes can be taken per semester (certainly not all in a single semester); Immense amounts of research; Would need to get into a program; Might take six months just to come up with a proper research topic, let alone complete it
2. Tenure isn't even be considered until seven years; Grant funding would need to be unbelievably large and successfully achieved on the first try; Most typical metrics would need to be waived (one exception may be journal article number, as that could conceivably be done in condensed time)
3. Immense amounts of work needed to become expert (100,000 hours) and less than half that in total time across 6 months (4,380 hours); Would need to have expertise already in place to speak or collaborate; A lot would depend on the relevance and competition within the field of study
4. Would need to pay off the equivalent of my monthly expenses times two (loan plus expenses)
5. Books need to be written fast but also well (almost impossible tradeoff); Even fantastic marketing takes a while to get going

Brainstorm Innovations

1. Find some sort of at-your-own-pace online PhD programs; Honorary PhD; Pick absolutely stunning and ground shaking dissertation topics 
2. Perform such a massive service to the university that assures them of your worth; Obtain an unthinkably large research grant on the first try; Develop an unique and highly relevant research lab that has no equivalent anywhere else in the world
3. Talent incubator; Select a high leverage but low competition sub-field; Spend every waking free moment reading the relevant literature
4. Generate a windfall; Live on rice and beans; Pause all extra services for half a year; Moonlight
5. Produce e-books prolifically; Secure an amazing connection to a rabid fanbase; Write like a dancing pen of brilliance (ink not included)